Design/methodology/approach A FeCoCrMoSi amorphous coating was prepared on 45 steel using laser cladding, and the tribological performance of obtained coating under the different normal loads was investigated using a ball-on-disk tribometer. Findings The FeCoCrMoSi amorphous coating is composed of M23C6, Co6Mo6C2 and amorphous phases, where the M23C6 hard phase enhances the coating hardness to increase the wear resistance and the Co6Mo6C2 with the vein shape forms the strong mechanical interlock to play the role of friction reduction. The average coefficients of friction of containing amorphous FeCoCrMoSi coating under the normal loads of 3, 4 and 5 N are 0.68, 0.65 and 0.53, respectively, and the corresponding wear rates are 17.7, 23.9 and 21.9 µm3•N−1•mm−1, respectively, showing that the appropriate normal load is beneficial for improving its friction reduction and wear resistance. The wear mechanism is composed of adhesive wear, abrasive wear and oxidative wear, which is attributed to the high hardness of amorphous coating by the amorphous phase. Originality/value The FeCoCrMoSi amorphous coating was first applied for the improvement of 45 steel, and the effect of normal load on its tribological performance was investigated. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2024-0304/