Mass transport equations in multicomponent polymeric coatings are nonlinear coupled partial differential equations. These equations were solved using Galerkin's method of finite elements which converts them to ordinary differential equations. Residuals were made orthogonal by using quadratic basis functions. Non-uniform elements were used to capture steep concentration gradient near the top of the coating. Finite element formulation has been solved using ode15s of MATLAB. Results are in very good agreement with the earlier results using different solution techniques. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.