Thanks to the penetrating power into many structural materials, neutron imaging has unique advantages for studying samples across macroscopic length scales. Advances in instrumentation and methodologies have enabled the exploitation of various contrast mechanisms [1]. Notably, diffraction contrast allows for the spatial characterization of texture, strain, and crystallographic phase distributions [2], while inelastic scattering contrast permits, for instance, the probing of temperature distribution during welding [3].

This contribution presents an overview of recent results obtained for different steel grades and manufacturing methods, all of which are of high interest to provide better, lighter and safer components. In particular, we will discuss:

• Spatial texture variations in stainless steel parts made by Additive Manufacturing (in particular the influence of the laser scan strategy on texture and mechanical properties as well as the influence of building thin-to-thick wall geometries using laser powder-bed fusion).
• How to reveal the onset and evolution of plastic deformation in pure iron and low carbon steel samples and corresponding tomographic reconstructions.
• Hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steels by directly imaging H in front of a crack tip in a three-point bend specimen.
• Hydrogen embrittlement of super duplex stainless steel under in-situ H charging and tensile loading.