A composite coating containing WC/12Co cermet and Fe(43)Cr(16)Mo(16)C(15)B(10) metallic glass was successfully deposited onto type 304 stainless steel by high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spraying, and the microstructure and tribological properties were investigated. The microstructure of the coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy/electron probe micro-analysis (SEM/EPMA) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The hardness, adhesion strength and tribological properties of the coating were tested with a Vickers hardness tester, tensile tester and reciprocating wear tester, respectively. The composite coating, in which flattened WC/12Co was embedded in amorphous Fe(43)Cr(16)Mo(16)C(15)B(10) layers, exhibited high hardness, good wear resistance and a low friction coefficient compared to the monolithic coating. The addition of 8% WC/12Co to the Fe(43)Cr(16)Mo(16)C(15)B(10) matrix increased the cross-sectional hardness from 660 to 870HV and reduced the friction coefficient from 0.65 to 0.5. WC/12Co reinforcement plays an important role in improving the tribological properties of the Fe(43)Cr(16)Mo(16)C(15)B(10) coating. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.