The oxidation behavior of different SiAlON phases (β-SiAlON, X-phase SiAlON and 12H powders) synthesized from coal gangue in air atmosphere was investigated using isothermal thermogravimetry (TG) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The effect of ferric oxide impurities in coal gangue was studied. The results show that ferric oxide contributes to the growth of SiAlON crystalline during the synthesis process. In the oxidation experiment, the existence of ferric oxide decreases the oxidation resistance of SiAlON. The reason is that the impurity causes the formation of a liquid phase at a higher temperature. At 1423-1623 K, the oxidation of SiAlON powders is diffusion controlled and it can be described by Chou's model. A fair agreement is found between theoretical calculations and the experimental data.