In manufacturing, metal removal process is a vital activity which defines the productivity of the organization. The metal removal during machining operations, depend on factors which include cutting tool, work piece material, cutting fluids, machine tool condition, process parameters etc. In the present work, an effort has been made to understand the behavior of frictional force (F-f) during turning operation. Experiments were designed and executed with selected set of process parameters. The F-f for each trial was computed based on the Merchant's circle diagram. The influence of each machining parameter on F-f has been analyzed and quantified for each parameter. The investigation reveals that feed rate and depth of cut has direct consequences on F-f, whereas spindle speed has indirect impact. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Developments in Materials, Manufacturing and Energy Engineering.