In this work, quench severity effect on abrasive wear resistance on austenitic steel ASTM A128 Grade C samples, were studied. Initial and heat-treated samples were characterized by optical emission spectroscopy (OES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to determinate present phases, microstructural changes and evaluate their influence on abrasive wear resistance. In addition, wear resistance tests were made according to ASTM G65-00 to determinate abrasive wear resistance and the possible strain hardening produced by the contact of the sample with the abrasive agent.