An experimental study was carried out to investigate the possibilities to use rolls made from Si3N4-TiN ceramic composite in hot rolling of steel. The results show that the wear of the ceramic material was lower than the wear of a reference cast iron. The results suggest that the Si3N4-TiN material is beneficial to use in a hot rolling process, on condition that the temperature of the work piece material is held sufficiently high. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.