This book is a brief review of recent topics in the field of physical characterization of organic coatings by Dr. Michael Osterhold. It is published bilingually in English and German. The topics are: Methods for Characterizing Scratch/Mar Resistance [1ex] Measuring the Surface Structure From Substrate to Topcoat [1ex] Improving Rheology Measurement Yield Point and Thixotropy [1ex] Methoden zur Charakterisierung der Kratzbestandigkeit [1ex] Messung der Oberflachenstruktur von Substrat bis Decklack [1ex] Verbesserung der Rheologie-Messung Fliessgrenze und Thixotropie