In this study, the surface of St52 steel was alloyed with preplaced powders 55Fe39Cr6C, 49Fe39Cr6C6Si, and 45Fe39Cr6C10Si using a tungsten-inert gas as the heat source. Following surface alloying, conventional characterization techniques, such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction were employed to study the microstructure of the alloyed surface. Microhardness measurements were performed across the alloyed zone. Room-temperature dry sliding wear tests were used to compare the coatings in terms of their tribological behavior. It was found that the as-deposited coatings contained higher volume fractions of carbides (Cr7C3). The presence of 6%Si in the preplaced powders caused an increase in microhardness and wear resistance.