Fe-based coatings reinforced by spherical WC particles were produced on the 304 stainless steel by plasma transferred arc (PTA) to enhance the surface wear properties. Three different Fe/WC composite powder mixtures containing 0wt％, 30wt％, and 60wt％ of WC were investigated. The microstructure and phase composition of the Fe/WC composite PTA coatings were evaluated systemically by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The wear properties of the three fabricated PTA coatings were investigated on a BRUKER UMT TriboLab. The morphologies of the worn tracks and wear debris were characterized by using SEM and 3D non-contract profiler. The experimental results reveal that the microhardness on the cross-section and the wear resistance of the fabricated coatings increase dramatically with the increasing adding WC contents. The coating containing 60wt％ of WC possesses excellent wear resistance validated by the lower coefficients of friction (COF), narrower and shallower wear tracks and smaller wear rate.In the pure Fe-based coating, the main wear mechanism is the combination of adhesion and oxidative wear.Adhesive and two-body abrasive wear are predominated in the coating containing 30wt％ of WC, whereas threebody abrasion wear mechanism is predominated in the coating containing 60wt％ of WC.