For a high durability of stressed gears profile accuracy, compressive residual stress and a high surface quality of the ground gear flanks is required. In this context the suitability of metal bonded cubic boron nitride (CBN) tools for discontinuous profile grinding of gears is examined. Metal bonded grinding tools usually provide a high wear resistance. Furthermore CBN has high thermal conductivity which can affect the residual stress state of the ground gear positively. In this context the influence of the CBN grain size, grain coating as well as the grain concentration on the ground gear surface and subsurface was investigated. For the examined grinding tools a bronze bonding system is used. A nickel coating of the CBN grains caused an enhanced embedding of the grains in the bond in comparison to the uncoated grains. For all tested tools and process parameters compressive residual stress could be measured as well as maximum height of roughness profile values around Rz = 4 µm.