The invention describes a friction bearing with a steel support shell and a lead-free bearing metal layer on the basis of copper with the main alloy elements of tin and zinc, which layer is applied to the support shell. In order to combine advantageous sliding properties with favorable mechanical resilience it is proposed that the bearing metal layer has a share of tin of 2.5 to 11% by weight and a share of zinc of 0.5 to 5% by weight, with the sum total of the shares of tin and zinc being between 3 and 13% by weight.