jats:titleAbstract</jats:title> jats:pMany of the structures common within steels are not geometrically smooth, which means that their stereological parameters, such as the amount of interfacial area per unit volume, are resolution dependent. The tendency of brittle phases to crack is size dependent, as is the strength. The ability of steel to resist cleavage can be influenced by the size and distribution of coherent domains within the structure. A different diffusion theory applies when dealing with steep concentration gradients. All of these aspects are of importance in the design, characterisation and theory of steels, illustrated here with a few examples, where the neglect of length scales is improper.</jats:p>