Structural and mechanical properties of the TiN films deposited on stainless-steel substrates by rf. magnetron sputtering have been studied. The TiN films of few hundreds of nanometers in thickness were fabricated, varying both the total pressure of the N-2/Ar reactive gas mixture and N-2 partial pressure in a chamber. It was found that the morphology of the TiN films strongly depended on the N-2 concentration of the working gas. A formation of the (2 0 0) phase was detected at 50% of N-2 concentration. The tribological properties of the deposited films strongly depended on the total pressure. A low frictional coefficient of 0.14 has been measured for TiN films deposited at 50% of N-2, at a total pressure 9 Pa. (c) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.