Abstract Zinc-oxide (ZnO), a solid lubricant coating, can increase the wear resistance of steels by working as a self-lubricant. In this study, ZnO film is synthesized using the cathodic cage plasma deposition (CCPD) technique, using galvanized steel cathodic cage (steel cage with zinc coating). The effect of gas composition (H₂ is added in Ar-O₂) is investigated to optimize the film properties. The surface hardness is increased more than twice in each processing condition. The deposited film shows ZnO phases for samples treated with low hydrogen contents and a combination of ZnO and magnetite phase (Fe₃O₄) with higher hydrogen contents. The thickness of film reduced from 1.28 μm to 0.5 μm by increasing the hydrogen composition. The wear resistance is expressively increased by film deposition, and the abrasive wear mechanism is changed to an adhesive wear mechanism. A significant decrease in wear rate is observed, specifically by increasing the hydrogen contents. The friction coefficient as a function of sliding distance is smoother and lower than the base material in each condition. This study suggests that the CCPD technique can effectively deposit the solid lubricant coating of ZnO, and it can be used to enhance the tribological properties of steel samples. Moreover, this technique is convenient due to its better deposition efficiency, eco-friendly (no chemicals are involved), simple and relatively low-cost equipment, and low processing temperature. Thus, it can be advantageous for industrial sectors interested in materials with exceptional tribological properties.