A blade member for cutting-tools includes a cermet substrate which contains, apart from unavoidable impurities, a binder phase and a hard dispersed phase. The binder phase contains 5% to 30% by weight of cobalt and/or nickel. The hard dispersed phase contains a balance composite carbonitride of titanium and one or more of the elements tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium, hafnium and zirconium. The composite carbo-nitride satisfies the relationship 0.2.ltoreq.b/(a+b).ltoreq.0.7, where a and b denote atomic ratios of carbon and nitrogen, respectively. The substrate includes a hard surface layer in which the maximum hardness is present at a depth between 5 .mu.m and 50 .mu.m from a substrate surface thereof. The substrate surface has a hardness of 20% to 90% of the maximum hardness.