A novel method for the quantification of the nanoparticle release into air from surface coatings was developed. The method is based on the combination of a defined abrasion process with highly sensitive methods to quantify airborne particle concentration. A standardized system for abrasion testing was employed to adjust a defined wear process. Details of the abrasion system are presented in combination with a downstream aerosol measurement technique (scanning mobility particle sizer, SMPS and condensation particle counter, CPC) which focuses on the quantification of a release rate from particles smaller than 100 nm. The interconnection between the aerosol measurement system and the abrasion process is described in detail. After the proof of sensitivity of the measuring system first measuring results of abraded surface coatings revealed a reasonable reproducibility of the generated wear particles in terms of total mass and a rather weak reproducibility in terms of the total number concentration. However, the total number of generated submicrometer particles or nanoparticles was extremely low and laid below the statistic significance threshold. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.