Optical and electron metallography have been used to investigate the development of different microstructures in Armco Fe after rolling reductions between 0 and 90%. Simultaneously, the orientation distribution functions have been calculated from pole figures obtained by X-ray diffraction. Different stages of texture development could be assigned to typical microstructures. Strain inhomogeneities, such as microbands and shear bands, caused some broadening of the texture and a slight deviation of one skeleton line from the predicted fibre texture component. The decomposition of orientations near {111} < 121 > , and the strengthening of {211} < 011 > after high rolling reductions, was not due to mechanical twinning but could rather be explained by assuming {211} < 111 > slip. 30 ref.--AA