A series of titanium-carbonitride-based cermets was tested in abrasion. The alloys had TiN-to-(TiC + TiN) alloy ratios of between 0 and 0.6. They had been cold pressed and sintered with a binder of 12.5wt.%Ni-10wt.%Mo-10wt.%VC. The materials were abraded under three-body conditions by 85 μm SiC and quartz abrasives and by 1 μm diamond polishing paste. The wear mechanisms for the larger abrasives were similar to those described for WC-Co cermets, i.e. plastic indentation and microspalling for the hard abrasive (SiC), and fine-scale microspall formation for the relatively soft abrasive (quartz). The diamond polish gave the same wear mechanism as the SiC abrasives, only on a smaller scale. The three abrasives all gave the highest wear rates for intermediate values of alloy hardness and toughness, at a TiN-to-(TiN + TiC) ratio of 0.2 and the lowest wear rate for the hardest alloy, which had an alloy ratio of 0.6. Zum Gahr's model for abrasion of low ductility materials was used to evaluate the data. The model overestimates the contribution of brittle microfracture. The wear data were also correlated with tool performance data in machining of gray cast iron. The correlation is quite poor; the need for additional work is discussed.