The demand for pipeline steels has increased in the last several decades since they were
able to provide an immune and economical way to carry oil and natural gas over long distances.
There are two important damage modes in pipeline steels including stress corrosion cracking (SCC)
and hydrogen induced cracking (HIC). The SCC cracks are those cracks which are induced due to
the combined eects of a corrosive environment and sustained tensile stress. The present review
article is an attempt to highlight important factors aecting the SCC in pipeline steels. Based on a
literature survey, it is concluded that many factors, such as microstructure of steel, residual stresses,
chemical composition of steel, applied load, alternating current (AC) current and texture, and grain
boundary character aect the SCC crack initiation and propagation in pipeline steels. It is also found
that crystallographic texture plays a key role in crack propagation. Grain boundaries associated
with {111}krolling plane, {110}krolling plane, coincidence site lattice boundaries and low angle grain
boundaries are recognized as crack resistant paths while grains with high angle grain boundaries
provide easy path for the SCC intergranular crack propagation. Finally, the SCC resistance in pipeline
steels is improved by modifying the microstructure of steel or controlling the texture and grain
boundary character.