<p>Fe-based composite coatings with varying B₄C contents were fabricated on Cr12 mold steel by laser cladding technology. A systematic analysis was conducted to characterize the coatings’ phase composition, microstructure, microhardness, fracture toughness, and tribological properties. The results show that an appropriate addition of B₄C can refine the microstructure and facilitated the precipitation of hard phases such as Fe₂B, Cr₇C₃ and Cr₂B. However, excessive B₄C led to microstructural coarsening and pronounced carbide segregation. These defects ultimately resulted in the deterioration of both mechanical strength and wear resistance. When the B₄C content was 8 wt.%, the cladded layer exhibited optimal comprehensive performance, with an average microhardness of 1009.8 HV_0.3, approximately 1.35 times that of the substrate, and a fracture toughness of 2.05 MPa·m^1/2. Friction and wear experiments demonstrated that the Fe-based composite coatings exhibited substantially reduced wear volumes compared to the substrate when subjected to varying loads, indicating their superior resistance to abrasive damage. Notably, the composite coating with 8 wt.% B₄C demonstrated superior wear resistance among all tested samples. Detailed wear mechanism investigations revealed that the degradation process resulted from a combined effect of adhesive, oxidative, and abrasive interactions. The predominant wear mode exhibited dynamic transitions dependent on both the B₄C concentration and the magnitude of the applied load.</p>