**Abstract**

Abrasive wear is highly dependent on the characteristics and properties of abrasive particles. Their hardness and size can define the severity of abrasion in terms of wear rates. Typically, critical values have been empirically determined to define the transition between mild and severe wear. This review aims to update some of the issues related to these critical values and their relations to abrasive wear. After presenting the current state-of-art, the following items are discussed: a) the scratchability of materials; b) the particle fragmentation associated with size effects; and c) description of abrasion severity.

**Keywords:** abrasive wear, hardness, particle size effect, fragmentation, wear severity
