The work aims to improve tool wear resistance, extend tool material service life and reduce tool wear during pro-cessing. RF magnetron sputtering method was used to deposit CrN coating on the surface of high speed steel tool. XRD and FESEM were applied to analyze the structure and morphology of coating. EDS was adopted to measure the composition content and distribution of coating. Scratch tester was used to determine the membrane binding force and ball-disc abrading instrument was applied for wear resistance test. Wear resistance of coatings under different friction conditions was investigated, effect of different friction conditions on tribological properties of uncoated and coated tools was discussed and variation of friction coefficient, grinding depth and grinding width along with parameters was studied. The CrN coating with dense structure, clear outline and flat and smooth surface was prepared by magnetron sputtering and showed a triangular-cone shape, with obvious CrN(111) preferential orientation and 31.6 N membrane binding force. Wear test showed that uncoated tool suffered from severe wear under high load (load 5 N), abrasion mark color was dark, depth and width for abrasion mark were respectively 27.6 μm and 980.2 μm, friction coefficient was 0.498. There were only slight furrows and less debris accumulation on both sides of the tool abrasion marks. The surface abrasion mark was bright, the wear was slight depth and width were respectively 2.25 μm and 570.8 μm and friction coefficient was 0.314. Wear resistance of tool is improved by depositing CrN coating on the surface of high speed steel tool and depth of wear mark, width of wear mark and friction coefficient are small in the wear test.