The process of micro-abrasion-corrosion has been the subject of much research in recent years due to the fact that the action of micron sized particles, typically less than 10 mu m in diameter, can cause significant degradation of materials in many diverse environments involving aqueous corrosion. Cermet based coatings are often used to combat micro-abrasion-corrosion, but there has been little work carried out to characterize the performance of such coatings exposed to micro-abrasion-corrosion or to provide a basis for coating optimisation. In addition, a basis for defining the various micro-abrasion-corrosion interactions has not been suggested to date. In this study, the micro-abrasion-corrosion performance of a Ni-Cr/WC coating was assessed and compared to the performance of the steel substrate. The results were used to identify regimes of micro-abrasive wear as a function of applied load and pH of the solution. In addition, micro-abrasion-corrosion maps were constructed based on the results, showing the variation between micro-abrasion-corrosion regimes, as a function of applied load and pH of the solution. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.