Objective To improve the friction and wear performance of aluminum in dry sliding contact. Methods The two-step method was used in this paper to fabricate the superhydrophobic film on aluminum. The aluminum substrate was firstly etched by hydrochloric acid to create the micro- and nano-texture, then coated by layer of stearic acid to decrease surface energy. SEM, XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, contact-angle measuring instrument and friction-abrasion testing machine were used to analyze the morphological features, chemical composition, hydrophobicity and tribological performance of superhydrophobic film on aluminum, respectively. Results SEM and XRD analyses showed that the micro- and nano-structure was created on aluminum after chemical etch. FIIR analysis showed stearic acid was chemically absorbed on aluminum surface in a bidentate mode. The film on aluminum showed superhydrophobicity with static water contact angle of 150° and sliding angle of 10°. It was effective to improve tribological performance of aluminum. The friction coefficient kept as low as 0. 16 for 10 000 s sliding time when sliding with steel ball in the unlubricated condition. Conclusion The superhydrophobic film formed on aluminum by using chemical etch by hydrochloric acid and then the surface modified by stearic acid could improve the friction and wear performance of aluminum. The method is simple and can be easily operated at a large scale. It may provide a new method to improve the friction and wear performance of aluminum.