The coarsening behavior of cementite particles during tempering of martensite was studied in the temperature range between 773 and 973 K . Attention was paid to examine the effect of alloying element Cr, P or Sb on the coarsening rate of cementite particles. It was found that a small addition of these elements considerably retards the coarsening of cementite particles. The retarding effect is different depending on the kind of alloying elements. In chromium-containing steel, the diffusion of chromium in ferrite controls the coarsening rate with high temperatures or sufficiently long periods of tempering, where the equilibrium partitioning of chromium between ferrite and cementite is attained. The effect of phosphorus or antimony, on the other hand, is caused by their segregation at ferrite/cementite interface. In phosphorus- or antimony-containing steel, the coarsening rate of cementite particles is explained in terms of the growth mechanism controlled by the interface reaction.