In the framework of the EUROMAGTECH cooperation, several coils for pulsed magnetic fields were developed and tested for their ultimate performance. We developed a winding machine which can reinforce each layer of conductor with a uniaxial wrap of fibres. Thus, optimum reinforcement can be obtained which resulted in coils producing 67 tesla in a 12 mm bore and 58 tesla in a 20 mm bore. Alternatively, a cable of pearlitic steel around a copper core was developed at BEKAERT, resulting in a wire with a strength of more than 1 GPa at a room temperature conductivity of 60 %IACS. This wire was wound into a coil with a bore of 17 mm, producing 54 tesla without noticeable radial deformation of the coil.