At present there is no appropriate method for calculation of stress on external ring of a one-way clutch. In this paper, according to characteristics of the external ring, the method of finite element analyais has been used, the factors which have influence on computational accuracy have been studied, and the stress on external ring of a five roller-type one-way clutch has been calculated. Studies have shown that finite element analyais is really an attractive method for the calculation of stress on parts similar to external ring.