A hearth roll includes a base roll, a thermally sprayed coating formed on the base roll, and a modified coating formed on the thermally sprayed coating. The modified coating is formed by modifying a part or the whole of a surface of the thermally sprayed coating by melting and solidification of the thermally sprayed coating, by irradiating a part or the whole of the surface of the thermally sprayed coating with an energy beam. The thickness of the modified coating is from 2 to 20 m, and the Vickers hardness HV of the modified coating is from 1.2 to 1.4 times larger than the Vickers hardness HV of the thermally sprayed coating.

Disclosed is a paper-sheet-feeding/conveying roller having an elastic body 10 and a surface treatment layer 11 which has been formed by impregnating a surface portion 10a of the elastic body 10 with a treatment liquid containing an isocyanate compound and curing the liquid; and the micro hardness (Hs.sub.1) of the surface treatment layer 11, the friction coefficient (.sub.1) of the surface treatment layer 11, the micro hardness (Hs.sub.2) of the elastic body 10 after removal of the surface treatment layer 11 and the friction coefficient (.sub.2) of the elastic body 10 after removal of the surface treatment layer 11, the micro hardness values being determined by way of a micro hardness tester, satisfy the following relationships of formulas (1) and (2): 0<(Hs.sub.1Hs.sub.2)/Hs.sub.217% (1) and |.sub.1.sub.2|/.sub.2<22% (2).