The status and opportunity of metallic interconnects for an anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell stack is reviewed with special emphasis on the variation of contact resistance of currently developed interconnects at operating temperatures, as well as the prevailing approaches to reduce contact resistance. It appears that without a coating, current metallic interconnects are not suitable for practical applications at 800degreesC since they may cause drastic performance degradation of the stack within its expected service lifetime. Some guidelines in designing new metallic interconnects with both excellent oxidation resistance and reasonably low contact resistance in SOFC environments are set forth. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.