This work aims to show the characterisation of Cr–V–N coatings, with the varied amounts of Cr and V. CrN, VN and Cr–V–N coatings were deposited onto silicon and XC100 steel substrates by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering and characterised with X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanoindentation, pin on disc tribological tests and scratch tests. The residual stress was calculated using the Stoney formula. Compared to the CrN system, the Cr–V–N films presented a rough surface based on pyramidal morphology. A hardness of 19·53 GPa and a friction coefficient of 0·55 were obtained for CrN; in contrast, Cr–V–N coatings presented a weak hardness of 6·23 GPa. In the case of wear against a 100Cr6 ball, the Cr–V–N films were completely removed from the substrate, even though the Cr–V–N coating presented a low friction coefficient (0·39). However, the VN film showed good tribological performance.
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