Abstract: Based on the plasma nitriding technology,the effect of temperature on the microstructure and properties of plasma nitriding layer of 3Cr13 stainless steel was studied.The results show that temperature significantly affected the structure and performance of the nitrided layer.With the nitriding temperature increasing the layer thickness increased,the surface phases gradually precipitated CrN and γ′ from the prime α′N and ε, the surface hardness improved and the wear resistance raised.The corrosion resistance which was lower than that of base decreased with the temperature increasing above 450℃ except for the low temperature (400℃) condition.