Cr/CrN nano-multilayers were grown on H13 steel and silicon (100), having different periods (Lambda), at room temperature using the unbalanced magnetron sputtering technique by varying the degree of unbalancing (K-G) to investigate the effect on multilayer properties. The multilayers' total thickness was similar to 1 mu m and the total number of layers varied from 10 (Lambda=200 nm), 20 (Lambda=100 nm) to 100 (Lambda=20 nm) layers. Film microstructure, hardness, wear and corrosion resistance were measured regarding bilayer period and degree of unbalancing. The results showed that wear resistance was lower for low K-G values and that corrosion resistance was higher and hardness was improved. Nano-hardness was found to be higher for multilayers grown with Lambda=20 nm for all K-G values, reaching a maximum 25 GPa value for K-G = 0.87. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.