A novel wear- and oxidation-resistant Mo2Ni3Si/NiSi metal silicide composite coatings were fabricated on substrate of an austenitic stainless steel by laser cladding using Ni-Mo-Si elemental powder blends. The microstructure of the coating was characterized by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The high-temperature wear resistance of the coating was evaluated under sliding wear test conditions. Results show that microstructure of the coating consists of the Mo2Ni3Si primary dendrite and interdendritic Mo2Ni3Si/NiSi eutectic. Due to the presence of a large amount of hard and wear-resistant Mo2Ni3Si phase, the laser clad Mo2Ni3Si/NiSi metal silicide composite coating has excellent wear resistance under high-temperature sliding wear test conditions. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.