The effects of carbide precipitation and carbon content on crack propagation rates in Type 316 stainless steel were determined for the temperature range of -196 to 649°C. It was shown that neither carbon content nor carbide precipitation had any recordable effect on crack propagation rates for the range of parameters investigated. Fatigue life, however, has been shown by other investigators to be a function of both carbon content and carbide distribution. These results provide evidence for a hypothesis that crack initiation is sensitive to carbon content and morphology in Type 316 stainless steel, whereas crack propagation rate is not. A good correlation was obtained between macroscopic crack growth rate and striation spacing measurements.