The surface atomic step-terrace structure of 4H-SiC greatly affects its performance in power device applications. On the basis of the crystal structure of 4H-SiC, we propose the generation mechanism of the a-b-a*-b* type, a-b type and a-a type step-terrace structures. We demonstrate that the step-terrace structure of SiC can be controlled by adjusting the balance between chemical modification and physical removal in CeO2 slurry polishing. When chemical modification plays the main role in the polishing of SiC, the a-b-a*-b* type step-terrace structure can be generated. When the roles of physical removal and chemical modification have similar importance, the a-b-a*-b* type step-terrace structure changes to the a-b type. When physical removal is dominant, the uniform a-a type step-terrace structure can be generated.