The effect of trace metallic additives on microstructure, surface appearance and hardness of zinc electrodeposits was investigated by using sulfate bath and flow cell system. The preferred orientation of Zn deposit with Fe additive was (103)(104)+(002) mixed texture and that of Zn deposits with both Fe-Ni and Fe-Co additives was (10 1), while Zn deposits with Fe-Cr additives had (002) preferred orientation. The surface morphology of the zinc deposits was closely related to the preferred orientation of the deposits. The glossiness of Zn deposit with Fe-Ni additives was higher than that of pure Zn deposit, while the glossiness of Zn deposits with both Fe-Co and Fe-Cr additives was lower than that of pure Zn deposit. The hardness of Zn deposits with both Fe-Ni and Fe-Co additives was noticeably higher than that of Zn-Fe deposit, while that of Zn deposit with Fe-Cr additives was similar to that of Zn-Fe deposit.