A series of ceramic tool materials based on Al2O3 with ZrO2, is presented. Experiments on ceramic materials with different contents of ZrO2 addition and different phase compositions in the delivered state were carried out. The mechanical properties such as: hardness HV30, transverse rupture strength, wear resistance, indentation toughness and cutting abilities of alumina ceramics were analyzed. The influence of phase polymorphic transformation on the improvement of the presented mechanical properties was considered. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.