An experimental study has been carried out to ascertain the role of mechano-chemical effects in accelerated material removal from hard and brittle surfaces such as engineering ceramics. It was established that chemical effects are far more effective in material removal than the mechanical action of abrasive particles alone. Mechanical action is governed by the applied load, amount of relative slip within the contact zone, and the size of abrasive particles. Chemical effects depend mainly on the nature of additives and their ability to react with ceramic surface under contact conditions. Maximum wear rate is achieved when both mechanical action and chemical reactions take place simultaneously.