The microstructures of β-SiC nanorods synthesized by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition were studied in detail by high-resolution electron microscopy. Two distinct types of nanorods were identified. The longer nanorods (lengths > 0.1 mm) contained globules at their tips and a relatively low density of stacking faults perpendicular to their [111] growth direction. It was also observed that SiC nanorods that grew along [100] direction contained no planar defects. Meanwhile, Ni was found to be an effective catalyst for SiC nanorod growth. The short nanorods (lengths < 50 nm), which contained no globules at their ends, can grow along [111], [100], or [112] direction. The growth of these nanorods was interpreted by a two-dimensional vapor–solid mechanism.