The non-destructive testing (NDT) of debonding in stainless steel composites plate (SSCP) is performed by infrared thermography, finite element analysis (FEA) software ANSYS is taken as the simulative tool, and 2D simulative model has been set up to investigate effect of the thickness of coating and/or substrate on the detectibility of debonging in SSCPs. Two parameters, namely the maximum defect temperature difference and defect appearing index, are defined to evaluate the detectivity of defects, and their computational methods and formulas are given respectively. The preliminary changing tendency of the maximum defect temperature difference and defect appearing index with the thickness of coating and/or substrate is found by numerical simulation. © Shanghai Jiaotong University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.