The optical and electrical properties of stainless steel oxynitride thin films have been studied for different flow rates of the reactive gases during the deposition process. Films were deposited in an in-line magnetron sputtering system under similar conditions as those found in large area industrial systems. The study of the optical properties was performed by IR-VIS spectrophotometry, DC conductivity measurements were performed by the four point method and the microstructural study and chemical analysis were performed by XRD, FESEM and XPS. The results show the transition of sample films from metal to semiconductor, as well as the feasibility of obtaining visible absorbing coatings with low DC conductivity from low-cost materials. The deposited films show the typical growth structure for samples produced in in-line deposition systems commonly used in the large area coatings industry. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.