Residual stress is a problem which could reduce the lifetime of plasma sprayed coatings. So it is necessary to find the relationship between plasma spray parameters and residual stress. In this study, a plasma spraying technique was used to deposit Al(2)O(3) coatings on stainless steel substrates under different spraying parameters. The residual stresses were determined by an X-ray diffraction method. Furthermore, surface roughness and porosity of the plasma sprayed Al(2)O(3) coatings were measured.