The MoS 2 nanoflakes can be a novel candidate as a solid lubricant in fabricating friction material for automotive brake-pad disc systems. In this paper, an investigation has been made to analyze the effect of MoS 2 nanoflakes on the mechanical and tribological behavior of the formulated copper-free low-metallic composite friction material. Three samples, namely S 1 , S 2, and S 3, have been fabricated containing different types of solid lubricant. Sample S 1 had a solid lubricant as graphite, while samples S 2 and S 3 had graphite mixed with solid lubricant MoS 2 with average flake sizes of 2 µm and 50 nm, respectively. Other components included steel, PAN, and aramid as reinforcing fibers; walnut powder, barium sulphate (BaSO 4 ), and nitrile-butadiene rubber as fillers; phenolic resin as a binder; and FeO, Quartz, and MgO as abrasives. A pin-on-disc tribometer test (ASTM G-99) was conducted to carry out the wear test at a load of 60 N, sliding velocity of 2.09 m/s, and sliding distance of 6283 m at room temperature. A scanning electron microscope was used to study the micro-structural evolution of worn composite friction pin material. The results show that the nano-sized MoS 2 solid lubricant influences the structural integrity of the formulated composites, which governs the friction and wear behavior. The graphite and MoS 2 -based friction composites S 2 and S 3 perform better than the conventional friction material (S 1 ) containing graphite in terms of physical–mechanical, thermal, and tribological properties. The specific wear rate of the S 1 sample is the highest (2.72 × 10 –5  mm 3 /Nm) followed by S 2 (1.84 × 10 –5  mm 3 /Nm) and S 3 (0.98 × 10 –5  mm 3 /Nm) respectively. The graphite and MoS 2 -based friction specimens S 2 and S 3 showed adequate coverage of friction plateaus, reducing wear and abrasion of the counter disc. Graphical Abstract