Catalytic hydrogen production by methanol steam reforming is considered to be an attractive H-2 source option. However, performance of conventional packed beds of methanol steam reforming is limited by heat transfer, which results in a low effective factor of the catalyst. In this work, CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst coating has been generated by an innovate method named cold gas dynamic spray. Performance of the catalyst coating is investigated in a plate-type reactor after its characterization. SEM results of the catalyst coating show that it is rough and porous. Methanol steam reforming results of the coating are compared to that of the same catalyst in a packed bed of tubular reactor. Catalytic coating activity is superior to that of the packed bed due to more effective heat transfer. The highest methanol conversion of 90.45% is achieved at the temperature of 543 K when the space velocity is 1.09 h(-1) on the coating. And the highest hydrogen production rate is 30.05 ml/min at the temperature of 543 K when the space velocity is 1.56 h(-1) on the coating. Copyright (C) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.