ABSTRACT This study aimed to analyse the attenuation law of skid resistance of steel slag asphalt mixture (SSAM) based on differential wear. In this study, an indoor accelerated wear instrument was used to accelerate the wear of the SSAM surface. A pavement laser scanner and a dynamic friction tester measured the three-dimensional morphology and dynamic friction coefficient (μ) of SSAM. Then, the improvement mechanism of steel slag on the skid resistance of SSAM was expounded by analysing the surface microtexture, mineral composition, and chemical composition of aggregates. The results showed no linear relationship between the amount of steel slag and the improvement of SSAM skid resistance. The SSAM with 50% steel slag maximised the differential wear effect and had the largest μ and the richest surface macrotexture. It was recommended that the steel slag content in the SSAM should not exceed 50%. The more mineral composition and higher average hardness of steel slag were the sources of its excellent skid resistance. In addition, it is suggested that the differential wear between mixed aggregates should be considered in the design of skid resistance pavement, and the proportion of different aggregates should be reasonably distributed.