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Stress-relieving improves the part’s machinability and promotes tighter mechanical tolerances, but unlike annealing or normalizing, it does not change the steel properties. As a result of rolling, forging, machining, welding, and other hot and cold working, steel will build up residual stresses as the metal is stretched and compressed. To relieve these stresses, the steel is heated to just below the critical range, approximately 600° C for one steel formulation, and soaked thoroughly at this temperature. The metal becomes soft enough to allow creep, and internal residual stresses are released. This prepares the steel for further working without stress cracking, or to be put into service without failure in the future. An industrial stress relieving oven applies heat to a product which reduces residual stress in the material and decreases the risk of dimensional changes. Stress relieving improves parts machinability and promotes tighter mechanical tolerances without changing the steel properties.

The adverse effects with internal stress are when steel is under a residual stress and under a corrosive environment, it fails with stress corrosion cracking. Thus by enhancing the tendency of steel for war page and dimensional instability. In the presence of residual tensile stress, the fatigue strength is reduced. Ductile materials are easily stress relieved when compared to brittle materials. However, the ground surface of a hardened tool might get highly stressed post grinding but not really faulted. Again, the high stress on its part might form fine cracks immediately post grinding, before or during use. 

Ground tools with high residual stress can often be salvaged by stress relieving, immediately after grinding, at or just below the tempering temperature in order to maintain the specified tool hardness. Tools also develop high residual stress in use. It is sometimes advantageous to relieve this stress at each redressing of the tool by re-tempering, only at an appropriate tempering temperature; violating which would cause undesirable softening.