Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness (SR) of 2 types of orthodontic archwires made by 4 different manufacturers. Methods: This in vitro experimental study was conducted on 35 specimens of 7 different orthodontic archwires, namely, 1 nickel-titanium (NiTi) archwire each from the manufacturers American Orthodontics, OrthoTechnology, All-Star Orthodontics, and Smart Technology, and 1 stainless steel (SS) archwire each from the manufacturers American Orthodontics, OrthoTechnology, and All-Star Orthodontics. Aft er analyzing the composition of each wire by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, the SR of each wire was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface profilometry. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests (${\alpha}$ < 0.05). Results: The average SR of NiTi wires manufactured by Smart Technology, American Orthodontics, OrthoTechnology, and All-Star Orthodontics were $1,289{\pm}915A^{\circ}$, $1,378{\pm}372A^{\circ}$, $2,444{\pm}369A^{\circ}$, and $5,242{\pm}2,832A^{\circ}$, respectively. The average SR of SS wires manufactured by All-Star Orthodontics, OrthoTechnology, and American Orthodontics were $710{\pm}210A^{\circ}$, $1,831{\pm}1,156A^{\circ}$, and $4,018{\pm}2,214A^{\circ}$, respectively. Similar to the results of profilometry, the SEM images showed more defects and cracks on the SS wire made by American Orthodontics and the NiTi wire made by All-Star Orthodontics than others. Conclusions: The NiTi wire manufactured by All-Star Orthodontics and the SS wire made by American Orthodontics were the roughest wires.