PURPOSE: To increase processing accuracy as a cutting tool and sharply improve performance by adhesively coating a base material with a diamond film or a carbon film having high hardness equivalent to the diamond film, and also improve a cutting discharge property at the time of cutting.

CONSTITUTION: In a carbon film-coated cutting tool wherein a carbon film is coated on a cutting tool base material surface by a vapor phase composite method, (a) a mean particle diameter in the utmost surface of a carbon film applied to a cutting edge ridge part is larger than that in the utmost surface of a film applied to a rake face and/or a flank, and/or, (b) the micro-Vickers hardness (Hv) of a carbon film applied to the cutting edge ridge part is larger than that of a carbon film applied to the rake face and/or the flank.