In some examples, a coating may include at least one feature that facilitates visual determination of a thickness of the coating. For example, the coating may include a plurality of microspheres disposed at a predetermined depth of the coating. The plurality of microspheres may define a distinct visual characteristic. By inspecting the coating and viewing at least one of the microspheres, the thickness of the coating may be estimated. In some examples, the plurality of microspheres may be embedded in a matrix material, and the distinct visual characteristic of the microspheres may be different than the visual characteristic of the matrix material. In other examples, the at least one feature may include at least one distinct layer in the coating system that includes a distinct visual characteristic, such as a color of the distinct layer.