The present study investigated the development of NiCrAl-based powder with the addition of HfO2 and CeO2 as reactive elements to enhance the oxidation resistance of bond coats in high-temperature applications. The combination of reactive elements with NiCrAl is accomplished by two stages of mechanical milling: first dry milling followed by wet milling which produces a coating powder with fine particles and a semispherical morphology. The addition of CeO2 to NiCrAl powder enhances the surface hardness due to the low porosity of the coating layer. The isothermal oxidation test was performed at a temperature of 1000 °C under cyclic conditions for a total duration of 100 hours. The results indicated that the NiCrAlCe sample showed higher oxidation resistance than the NiCrAl and NiCrAlHf samples, as indicated by the lowest oxidation rate of 2.89 × 10−12 g2/cm4s. The present study shows that the addition of CeO2 into the NiCrAl effectively functions as a controlled agent in the formation of protective oxides, such as Al2O3 and Cr2O3. The CeO2 particles continuously dissolved and interstitial in the grain boundaries of the oxide scale to enhance the oxidation resistance. © ASM International 2025.