An original multiscale friction analysis is developed to characterize the interfacial friction phenomena during the hot forging contact conditions in the manufacture of wheels for the railway industry. Hot upsetting sliding tests and roll-on-disc tests are performed to reproduce tribological conditions at meso and micro-scale. Crushed and embedded oxides are found to be present on the sample's surfaces. Stick-slip phenomena occur in the roll-on-disc tests due to accumulation of the crushed oxides. This transform the interfacial contact conditions from a lubricant/oxide configuration to an oxide/oxide condition. Microanalysis measurements on the specimen's wear tracks clearly show that the lubricant layer is broken down and transferred from the tool to the specimen surface by means of the accumulated oxide particles.