The Yancey, Geer and Price (YGP) abrasion index has been used for many years to assess the abrasive nature of a coal. The index is clearly related to the mineral matter in the coal, but a direct correlation with the ash content is poor. A better correlation is achieved by relating the wear of coal grinding mills and pf pipe work to the quartz and pyrite contents of the coals, but the data still shows significant scatter and is of limited use for predicting component wear rates. This paper presents the results of a study aimed at relating the nature of the mineral matter in a range of UK and world-traded coals with their abrasive and erosive wear as measured by the Mitsui Babcock mini-mill test and pulverised coal erosion studies. The mineral matter in the coals has been characterised by computer controlled scanning electron microscopy (CCSEM). The results from the mini-mill and erosion tests have given linear correlations between the mineral matter in the coal and the abrasive and erosive wear by considering only the excluded mineral occurrences in the pulverised coal that that are harder than steel and have a size that is >25 mum. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.