Carbon on the Pt(110) surface is investigated by STM, AES and XPS. The data show that carbide-like carbon is formed by surface segregation. If produced, carbon ad-atoms are found to be located at the near-top site on the Pt(110)-(1 1) surface. STM images of the carbon overlayer, deposited by ethylene decomposition at 1150 K, show no three-dimensional graphitic islands, but rather a reconstructed surface which is described as a pseudo -C(3 1)-Pt(110) structure.