A novel, effective approach to improve the cutting and chipping resistance (CCR) of carbon black (CB)-filled styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) composite was reported in this study. CCR of SBR was dramatically improved more than 30% by addition of 4 phr nanodispersed clay (NC), while not decreasing the stress at 100% and the Shore A hardness of the composite. The curing characteristics, loss tangent (tan d), and the strength of filler network of the composites were further measured by a Disk Oscillating Rheometer and a rubber processing analyzer, respectively. It was found that the addition of NC led to a slightly lower crosslink density, higher tan d, and stronger filler network, which contributed to the higher CCR. Therefore, the novel layered NC is more efficient in improving CCR when compared with CB. The results are expected to promote the application of NC in rubber industry. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012