Objective Black ceramic coating was obtained by micro-arc oxidation on the surface of 1060 aluminum alloy and the mechanism of the black ceramic coating was discussed. Methods The blackness,composition, microstructure of ceramic coating in different electrolytes were studied by color measurement instrument, EDS, XPS, SEM and other methods. Results The results showed that the addition amount of Na₂WO₄ and NH₄VO₃had great effects on the coating color features and apparent morphology, as the Na₂WO₄ and NH₄VO₃contents increased, the blackness degree of the membrane layer increased, while the surface roughness decreased. Conclusion In the process of micro-arc oxidation, the WO₄^2-and VO₃^-ions in the electrolyte were involved in the film forming reaction, generating the V₂O₅, V₂O₃, WO_xand WO₃ oxides with black color characteristics, which were distributed throughout the film layer and the porous structure, leading to the black color features. With the increase in the addition amount of Na₂WO₄and NH₄VO₃, the amount of color oxides in the membrane layer and the pore structure increased, reducing the roughness of the film layer.