Carbon nanocoils (CNCs) were synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition method using tin-iron-oxide (Sn-Fe-O) xerogel film catalyst. The Sn-Fe-O catalyst was prepared by a low-cost sol–gel method using stannous acetate and ferric acetate as precursors. The growth kinetics of CNCs were monitored by a thermogravimetric analyzer, and the experimental result was correlated using one-dimensional tip growth kinetic model. The kinetic model consists of three steps: (1) dissociative chemisorption of acetylene and formation of encapsulating carbon on a leading face of the catalyst, (2) diffusion and reduction of Sn-Fe-O catalyst in bulk structure, and (3) carbon cluster nucleation on a tailing face of the catalyst.