Dry sliding tests for H13 steels sliding against different-hardness counterfaces were performed in air under a load of 50-300 N at 25-600 C on a pin-on-disk elevated temperature tester. The hardness of the counterface was noticed to appreciably affect the wear behavior of H13 steel. When H13 steel slid against a hard counterface (55 HRC), the wear rate increased with an increase of temperature. As the load increased, the wear rate marginally increased at 25 C and 200 C but rapidly increased at 400 C and 600 C. When H13 steel slid against a softer counterface (42 HRC), the wear rate roughly decreased with an increase of temperature besides 600 C. As the load increased, the wear rate rapidly increased at 25 C but slightly increased at 200 C, 400 C and 600 C. The large variation of the wear behavior of H13 steel was attributed to the competition of the wear-reduced function and the delamination of tribo-oxide layers. At elevated temperature, the tribo-oxide layer readily delaminated under the abrasive action of the hard counterface; conversely, it stably stayed on worn surfaces to take a wear-reduced function for the soft counterface. Adhesive wear prevailed for the hard counterface at 25-200 C and the soft counterface at 25 C. For the soft counterface at 200-600 C, oxidative mild wear prevailed, but for the hard counterface, at 400-600 C, a mild-to-severe wear transition of oxidative wear occurred.