Low temperature ion sulfuration technique was utilized to prepare the solid lubrication iron sulfide (FeS) film on the surface of die-steel AISI L6. The friction and wear behaviors of sulfurized L6 steel were investigated on the ring-on-block tester of NIM200 under dry sliding condition. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were adopted to analyze the morphologies and compositions of surfaces and wear scars of the FeS film. X-ray diffractometer was used to study the film phase structure. Scanning Auger microprobe was employed to detect the elements distribution with depth. The results showed that the tribological properties of sulfurized L6 steel were superior to that of the unsulfurized one. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.