A 3-D transient mathematical model for laser cladding by powder feeding was developed to examine the macroscopic heat and momentum transport during the process, based on which a novel method for determining the configuration and thickness of cladding layer was presented. By using Lambert-Beer theorem and Mie’s theory, the interaction between powder stream and laser beam was treated to evoke their subtle effects on heat transfer and fluid flow in laser molten pool. The numerical study was performed in a co-ordinate system moving with the laser at a constant scanning speed. A fixed grid enthalpy-porosity approach was used, which predicted the evolutionary development of the laser molten pool. The commercial software PHOENICS, to which several modules were appended, was used to accomplish the simulation. The results obtained by the simulation were coincident with those measured in experiment basically. A 3-D transient mathematical model for laser cladding by powder feeding was developed to examine the macroscopic heat and momentum transport during the process, based on which a novel method for determining the configuration and thickness of the cladding layer was presented. By using Lambert-Beer theorem and Mie’s theory, the interaction between powder stream and laser beam was treated to evoke their subtle effects on heat transfer and fluid flow in laser molten pool. The numerical study was performed in a co-ordinate system moving with the laser at a constant scanning A fixed grid enthalpy-porosity approach was used, which predicted the evolutionary development of the laser molten pool. The commercial software PHOENICS, to which several modules were attached, was used to accomplish the simulation. The results obtained by the simulation were coincident with those measured in experiment basically.