Abstract: The friction and wear behavior of Cu based alloy/TiC cermet composite hardfacing material was investigated. The effect of load and rare earth oxide on the triological properties of the composite materials was examined, while the worn surface morphologies were observed with a scanning electron microscope. The results show that rare earth oxide can change the structure and improve the properties of hardfacing materials. The Cu based alloy/TiC cermet has considerably higher wear resistance than the composite material with YG8 as the hard phase. The wear resistance of the hardfacing layer increased with an increase in the content of cermet. The best wear resistance was obtained at a volume fraction of TiC cermet 55%~60%. The wear mechanisms of the composites materials include ploughing and spalling of some carbide particles on the worn surfaces. The spalling of TiC micro particles at the interface has significant influence on the wear resistance.