We studied the friction properties of four model silicate materials at the nanoscale and microscale. From nanotribology, we characterized the tribological properties at single asperity contact scale and from microtribology, we characterized the tribological properties at multi asperity contact scale. First, for each material we measured chemical composition by XPS, Young's modulus by acoustical microscopy and roughness sigma by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Second, we measured the nanofriction coefficients with an AFM and the microfriction coefficients with a ball probe tribometer, for three hardnesses of the ball probe. We identified one friction mechanism at the nanoscale (sliding friction) and two friction mechanisms at the microscale (sliding friction and yielding friction). Comparison of the nano and microfriction coefficients at the same sliding friction regime shown, that the tribological properties of these materials didn't depend on roughness. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.