The subject of the invention is to provide a surface coating cutting tool a hard coating layer of which has excellent hardness and toughness and gives play to anti-tipping performance and defect-resistant performance. The hard coating layer contains a composite nitride represented by a compositional formula of (Ti<1-x-y>Al<x>Me<y>)(C<z>N<1-z>) or a layer of the composite nitride, wherein Me is an element selected from Si, Zr, B, V and Cr, the average contained proportion Xav of Al, the average contained proportion Yav of Me, the average contained proportion Zav of C meet 0.60<=Xav<=0.95, 0.005<=Yav<=0.10, 0<=Zav<=0.005 and Xav+Yav<=0955, the Xav, the Yav and the Zav are atomic ratios; and the layer at least contains cubic grains and has a granular structure the average particle width W of the cubic grains of which is 005-1.0[mu]m and the average aspect ratio A of which is lower than 5, and specified-period concentration changes of Ti, Al and Me exist in the cubic particles, so the subject is solved.