The study of wear is generally focused on reproducing micromechanisms that are identified on industrial applications in the laboratory. To do so, many tribometers have been developed, but not much attention has been given to the correlation among the variety of abrasive test results. This study aims to compare four different abrasive wear tests: pin‐on‐disc, single pass pendulum, linear scratch and the laboratory of tribology and materials test. High chromium white cast irons were tested in different conditions. It was observed that the wear resistance classification offered by the pendulum scratch and the laboratory of tribology and materials test was the same and was the opposite of the classification offered by the scratch and pin‐on‐disc tests. The wear rate behaviour verifies the existing constant depth and constant load models regarding the force transferred to the contact region. For the latter, the wear behaviour is better explained by the product k*q, parameters that are obtained from the pendulum test. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.