Conducted a review of the literature regarding the determination of cathodic sputtering rate for Ni-P coating and investigation of crater shape produced as a result of result of cathode etching in glow discharge lamp. The values of coating sputtering rate, main methods for determining the sputtering rate and its factors as well as the techniques of investigation into the ion etching crater shape depending on the parameters of the glow discharge were presented. During the research of the sputtering characteristics, the samples of Ni-P electrolytic coating on conducting substrate from 29 NK-alloy were made. Using the X-Ray electron-probe microanalysis the uniformity of chemical composition was studied. By utilizing a glow discharge atomic-emission spectrometer “GDS 850 A” on the coating material the craters were obtained at different values ​​of amperage and DC discharge voltage (gas pressure is constant). Craters were studied by mechanical profilometer with a diamond needle. As a result, a new quantitative method for classifying the deviation from the plane of the bottom of the crater was suggested. Optimum operating conditions for flat-bottomed craters at different operating conditions of the analysis were selected. In addition, the sputtering rate of the coating material was determined by weighing and measuring the volume of the crater. It is noted that the weighing method has significantly higher error and does not take into account the features of the sputtering material. Sputtering rate values that were obtained by using the volume crater method are comparable to the data described in the scientific literature. Defined sputtering rate values for Ni-P coating with respect to the substrate material. These values correlate well with the data presented by the developer of standard samples for the stratified analysis.