Abstract Wear generated by repetitive impacts between an Inconel tube sample and a stainless steel flat bar target is studied through experiments in dry environment. Incident energy and angle of impacts are controlled, normal and tangential loads during impact are measured as well as rebound energy and angle of impacts. Impacts characteristics are analyzed and the influence of the energy loss during impacts and the incidence angle on generated wear is analyzed. Wear volume is found to be proportional to the energy loss, for which a maximum is observed at an incidence angle close to 25° from horizontal. An impact wear energy coefficient is introduced and an impact wear law with a strong mechanical meaning is proposed. This energy-based law well predicts the observed experimental wear.