To obtain an enlarged nitrided layer, a new diffusion heat treatment was applied to three different ionnitriding steels. Selected steels were from the AISI series: 1045, 01, and H13. Fractographic analyses showed that layers of each one of the steels considerably grew after being exposed to diffusion heat treatment. Micro-hardness tests indicated that the modified steels showed a similar value when is compared with the nitrided condition. By comparing the results in fracture toughness tests, it was observed that the most positively affected steel by the treatment was the AISI-1045 steel. Wear analyses showed that diffusion heat-treated samples exhibited an enhanced wear behavior under moderate loads. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.