AbstractIt is well known that some interaction takes place between the two components when mixtures of cobalt and tungsten carbide are milled. To gain a further insight into this phenomenon, the milling process has been studied by means of the electron microscope and by the BET and X-ray methods.During the milling of cobalt powder the number of stacking faults and the amount of the hexagonal phase both increase. On milling 80:20 tungsten carbide/cobalt mixtures increasing agglomeration of cobalt and fine tungsten carbide particles was found with rise in milling intensity. The larger tungsten carbide particles appeared to have a smooth surface. However, if the cobalt was dissolved in hydrochloric acid, the true surface of the tungsten carbide particles was revealed. This became rougher with increasing milling intensity. From this it can be concluded that, during milling, cobalt settles between the surface irregularities.The variation in distribution of the cobalt that results from different milling conditions leads to a difference in sintering behaviour. A dilatometric study has been made of this aspect.The original particle size of the cobalt used for hard-metal mixtures does not affect the properties of the sintered product, if the mixtures are milled very intensively.