Abstract The present paper deals with the tribological behaviour of the boride and carbide hardmetals evaluated by performing comparative dry sliding pin-on-disc experiments using normal contact loads. Analyses of the wear performance results, microstructural evaluation and processing conditions effect indicate that microstructure inhomogenities play an important role in abrasive wear behaviour of cermets. In term of grain size and chemical composition, the addition of VC also play an important role in increasing the wear resistance.