Temperature field and cooling rate are important parameters to influence the properties of clad layer and the heat affected zone. In this paper the temperature field and cooling rate of laser cladding are studied by a two-dimensional time-dependent finite element model. Experiment has been carried out by Nd:YAG laser cladding with wire feeding. Research results indicate that at the beginning of cladding, the width and depth of melt pool increase with cladding time. The cooling rate is related to position, cladding time, cladding speed, and preheating temperature. The temperature near melt pool changes rapidly while the temperature far from melt pool changes slowly. With the increase of cladding time, cooling rate decreases. The further the distance from the melt pool, the lower the temperature and the slower the cooling rate. The faster the cladding speed, the faster the cooling rate. The higher the preheating temperature, the slower the cooling rate. The FEM results coincide well with the experiment results.