Stress oriented hydrogen induced cracking (SOHIC) is a cracking mechanism typical for of low strength line pipe carbon steels, The paper reports on investigations to find experimental conditions suitable to study medium and materials related parameters influencing the SOHIC susceptibility of steel. It was not possible to identify medium conditions that produce SOHIC at stressed, unnotched samples under 1 bar
(0. 1 MPa) hydrogen sulfide. Increasing the test severity by filming 4-point bend or tensile specimens with a low concentrated aqueous salt solution instead of submerging them in this solution yielded appropriate SOHIC test conditions, the severity of which can be easily modified with the H2S partial pressure. It was exemplified that the concentration of nonmetallic inclusions, cold deformation (e.g. specimens preparation by flattening of curved coupons) and banded rnicrostroctures significantly contribute to the SOHIC susceptibility. Uniaxial tensile testing can evaluate critical stress levels for SOHIC development under given hydrogen sulfide partial pressures. Keywords: carbon steel, line pipe steel, SOHIC, hydrogen sulfide, materials composition, microstructure, cold deformation, coupon flattening, tensile testing, four-point bend testing