The single-pulse laser hardening of a hypereutectoid steel coated by a graphite layer was investigated using a numerical/experimental approach. Experimental tests were conducted on coated samples using a fibre laser source and without any gas shielding aiming to explore the effect of laser power, pulse energy and defocusing distance on the dimensions of the hardened region. The process operating window of the discrete spot laser hardening using the graphite layer was determined through a finite element model and compared with previous results obtained on uncoated samples. For the same laser power and interaction times, an enlargement of the hardened region was found when using the graphite coating, especially when operating at the lowest laser energy level. The process operating window remains similar in shape to the one of the uncoated steel but moves towards larger hardened diameters and much larger defocusing distances. Once the maximum temperature has been fixed, a linear relationship between the hardened diameter and the defocusing distance exists. No obvious surface oxidation occurs since the graphite coating acts as a protective layer. © 2019, Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.