Electro-spark deposition (ESD) was adopted for preparing high property coatings by depositing WC-8C0 cemented carbide on an spheroidal graphite roll substrate. The microstructure and properties of the coating were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and ball-disc configuration wear tester. The results show that nanosized particles and amorphous structures prevail in the coating which is metallurgically bonded to the substrate. The microstructures of the transition zone include columnar structure and equiaxed structure. The primary phases of the coating contain W_2C, W_6C_(2.54),Fe_3W_3C, and CO_3W_3C. The results of abrasive test show that the coating has low friction coefficients (μ_(average) = 0.18) and the wear mechanisms are mainly abrasive wear, fatigue wear, and oxidation wear. The maximum microhardness value of the coating is about 17410 N/mm~2. The study reveals that the electro-spark deposition process has better coating quality and the coating has high wear resistance and hardness.