The spreading and solidification processes of a molten metal droplet impinging on a heated solid surface are studied theoretically. The present work is based on Madejski's splat-quench solidification model proposed for the application of plasma spray coating. In contrast to the original model, the initial conditions are modeled in the present work at an instant away from the start of impact. The numerical results on the evolution of the droplet spreading obtained from the present model are compared with the predictions of previous model and available experimental data reported in the literature. It is shown that the present model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental measurements for the inertia driven droplet impact cases. It is further shown that the present model is more suitable for the droplet impact cases showing low Stefan number and high Peclet number. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.