The vanadate-induced corrosion of M Cr AIY coatings (M = Ni/Fe) on Inconel alloy 600 has been studied by using samples with preformed vanadate deposits. The samples were exposed to oxygen at 650 to 800°C for a maximum of 25 h in a thermobalance. The presence of molten vanadate ((Na2O)x·V2O5) on the surface causes accelerated corrosion. The corrosion rates increase with increasing V2O5content of the vanadates. In the presence of molten vanadate, protective scales of Cr2O3-Al2O3fail to develop; rather the oxide layer next to the coating consists of the oxides of all components in the coating and of vanadium both as vanadate and as vanadium sesquioxide. In most cases the molten vanadate phase fluxes the oxide scale and particularly the NiO phase in the oxide layer. Under these conditions the corrosion is probably governed by inward transport of oxygen (or oxygen species) in the vanadate melt. When the NiO concentration in the oxide layer next to the metal is high (as on nickel-base coatings with more than 75 wt-%Ni) a Ni3(VO4)2layer gradually develops between the oxide and the melt. This is accompanied by compositional changes in the oxide layer beneath the vanadate and results in a slow oxidation rate. MST/510