AbstractAdditive manufacturing is a production process in which elements and parts are created by depositing material layer‐by‐layer. Thanks to the rapid development of 3D printing methods, the most common metals typically used in engineering can also be employed to produce elements with outstanding structural properties. This paper shows the main outcomes of an experimental campaign focused on the mechanical characterisation of the 17‐4PH stainless steel, one of the metallic materials most widely used for Selective Laser Melting (SLM). Tensile tests, carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties of the material, are presented. Also the effect of annealing heat treatment on the residual stresses and the amount of residual austenite is discussed.