Abstract: A wear-resistant hard metal body is provided including a core of a hard metal body and a surface coating of a hard material on the core. The core of hard metal body includes at least one of the binder metals iron, cobalt and nickel and at least one of the carbides of the elements titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum and tungsten. The surface coating of hard material contains at least one carbide, nitride, boride and/or oxide. The binder metal contained in the core of hard metal body is also contained in the surface coating of the hard material and originates from the core of hard metal body.A method is provided for producing such wear-resistant hard metal bodies by subjecting a hard metal body comprising a core of hard metal body and a hard surface coating on the core to a pressure of between about 10.sup.-.sup.5 Torr and about 10 bar and a temperature between about 900.degree. and about 1600.degree.