Aluminide diffusion coatings were oxidized in air under atmospheric pressure under isothermal and cyclic conditions. The high-temperature efficiency of the pack-aluminized alloys was tested by comparing their oxidation behavior in the temperature range 800-1080°C. The k p values deduced from the parabolic plots of weight-gain curves showed that a-Al 2 O 3 composed the major phase of the oxide scale on samples oxidized at T > 1000°C. For lower temperatures, transient-alumina phases were observed. The aluminide materials also exhibited excellent resistance to cyclic oxidation at 1000°C. The second aim of this study was to dope the aluminide compounds obtained by a pack-cementation process with yttria, which was introduced by metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD). The beneficial effect of the reactive-element-oxide coating is strongly dependent on its mode of introduction, since the oxidation resistance is drastically increased when the Y 2 O 3 coating was applied prior to the aluminization process. When applied after the aluminization, the reactive element gave negative effects on the high-temperature oxidation behavior of the iron aluminides. The oxide morphologies, X-ray diffraction patterns and two-stage experiments helped to understand the oxide-scale-growth mechanisms.