To protect carbon materials from oxidation, SiC coatings were prepared on carbon/carbon(C/C) composites and graphite by chemical vapor reaction. SEM and XRD analyses show that the coatings obtained are composed of SiC grains and micro-crystals. The influence of different carbon substrates on oxidation behavior of coated samples was investigated, and then their oxidation mechanisms were studied. Oxidation test shows that the SiC coated graphite has a better oxidation resistance than SiC coated C/C composites at high temperatures (1 623 K and 1 823 K). In the oxidation process, the oxidation curves of SiC coated C/C composites are linear, while those of SiC coated graphite follow a quasi-parabolic manner. The oxidation mechanism of the former is controlled by chemical reaction while the latter is controlled by oxygen diffusion based on the experimental results. The variation of oxidation behavior and mechanism of SiC coatings on two kinds of carbon substrates are primarily contributed to their structure differences.