A hard coating includes a thin film layer which has a total thickness of 0.5-10 m and has an overall composition of Al.sub.1-a-bTi.sub.aMe.sub.bN (0.2<a0.6, 0<b0.15), where Me is a nitride constituent element having a thermal expansion coefficient of greater than 2.710.sup.6/ C. and less than 9.3510.sup.6/ C., wherein the thin film layer has a structure in which a nano-multilayered-structure of thin layers A, B and C, thin layer B being disposed between thin layer A and thin layer C, is repeatedly laminated at least once.

A coated tool may include a base member including a first surface, and a coating layer located at least on the first surface of the base member. The coating layer may include a first layer and a second layer. The first layer may be located on the first surface and may include a titanium compound. The second layer may be contactedly located on the first layer and may include aluminum oxide. The coating layer may include a plurality of voids located side by side in the first layer in a direction along a boundary between the first layer and the second layer in a cross section orthogonal to the first surface.

A coated cutting tool comprising: a substrate; and a coating layer formed on a surface of the substrate, wherein: the coating layer comprises a lower layer, an intermediate layer and an upper layer in this order from the substrate side; the lower layer comprises one or more Ti compound layers containing a Ti compound of Ti and an element of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of C, N, O and B; and the intermediate layer comprises an -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 layer containing -Al.sub.2O.sub.3; and the upper layer comprises a TiCN layer containing TiCN; an average thickness of the coating layer is within a specific range, and an average thickness of the upper layer is within a specific range; in a cross section perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, the grains in the TiCN layer constituting the upper layer satisfies a specific condition.

A coated cutting tool comprising a substrate and a coating layer formed on a surface of the substrate, wherein: the coating layer comprises a lower layer, an intermediate layer, and an upper layer in this order from the substrate side; the lower layer comprises one or two or more Ti compound layers containing a Ti compound of Ti and an element of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of C, N, O and B, the intermediate layer comprises an -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 layer containing -Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and the upper layer comprises a TiCNO layer containing TiCNO; an average thickness of the coating layer is 5.0 m or more and 30.0 m or less; in a specific first cross section, a misorientation A satisfies a specific condition; and in a specific second cross section, a misorientation B satisfies a specific condition.

A coated tool may include a base member and a coating layer located on the base member. The coating layer may include a plurality of AlTi layers including aluminum and titanium, and a plurality of AlCr layers including aluminum and chromium. The AlTi layers and the AlCr layers may be located alternately one upon another. The coating layer may include a plurality of first regions where a thickness of each of the AlTi layers becomes larger as going away from the base member, and a plurality of second regions where a thickness of each of the AlTi layers becomes smaller as going away from the base member. The first regions and the second regions may be located alternately one upon another in a thickness direction of the coating layer.

In a vanadium nitride film formed on a surface of a base material, a ratio V [at %]/N [at %] between a vanadium element concentration and a nitrogen element concentration in the film is 1.08 or more and a chlorine element concentration in the film is 1 at % or more and 5 at %/or less.

A coated cutting tool comprising a substrate and a coating layer formed on a surface of the substrate, wherein: the coating layer comprises at least one -type aluminum oxide layer; and, in the -type aluminum oxide layer, a texture coefficient TC (0,0,12) of a (0,0,12) plane is from 4.0 or more to 8.4 or less, and a texture coefficient TC (1,0,16) of a (1,0,16) plane is from 0.4 or more to 3.0 or less.

A coated tool may include a base member and a coating layer located on the base member. The coating layer may include a plurality of AlTi layers including aluminum and titanium, and a plurality of AlCr layers including aluminum and chromium. The AlTi layers and the AlCr layers may be located alternately one upon another. The coating layer may include a plurality of first regions where a thickness of each of the AlCr layers becomes larger as going away from the base member, and a plurality of second regions where a thickness of each of the AlCr layers becomes smaller as going away from the base member. The first regions and the second regions may be located alternately one upon another in a thickness direction of the coating layer.

A hard coating, which is to disposed to cover a surface of a tool substrate, has a total thickness of 0.5-20 m and includes an A layer and nanolayer-alternated layer that are alternately laminated by physical vapor deposition. The nanolayer-alternated layer includes a B layer and C layer that are alternately laminated. The A layer has a thickness of 50-1000 nm and is AlCr(SiC) nitride that is represented by a composition formula of [Al.sub.1-W-XCr.sub.W(SiC).sub.X]N wherein an atomic ratio W is 0.20-0.80 and an atomic ratio X is 0.01-0.20. The B layer has a thickness of 1-100 nm and is TiAl nitride that is represented by a composition formula of [Ti.sub.1-YAl.sub.Y]N wherein an atomic ratio Y is 0.30-0.85. The C layer has a thickness of 1-100 nm and is Ti(SiC) nitride represented by a composition formula of [Ti.sub.1-Z(SiC).sub.Z]N wherein an atomic ratio Z is 0.05-0.45. The nanolayer-alternated layer has a thickness of 50-1000 nm.

A surface-coated cutting tool includes a substrate and a coating film that coats the substrate, wherein the coating film includes a WC.sub.1-x layer composed of a compound represented by WC.sub.1-x, where x is more than or equal to 0.54 and less than or equal to 0.58, the compound represented by WC.sub.1-x includes a hexagonal crystal structure, and a maximum point of a peak exists in a range of 31.2 to 31.4 eV in a spectrum diagram of a 4f orbital of a tungsten element obtained when measuring the WC.sub.1-x layer by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis method.