jats:pThe crystallite orientation distribution function has been determined for cold‐rolled copper, copper‐10 per cent zinc and copper‐30 per cent zinc (jats:italicα</jats:italic>‐brass) at cold reductions of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 90 and 95 per cent. The copper texture exhibits a steady development and contains a tube of orientations between limits which have previously been shown to be stable during multiple slip processes ({110}〈112〉 to {4411}〈11118〉). The textures of the copper‐zinc alloys both show a similar initial development to that of copper but a transition occurs above a reduction of about 40 per cent. This indicated that an additional deformation mode had become active. The features of the transition are consistent with those expected if the additional deformation mode were mechanical twinning. The development of the basic texture (pure‐metal type) is in agreement with predictions based on the assumption of multiple slip conditions incorporating a considerable amount of cross‐slip.</jats:p>