Surface crack tension (SCT) specimens of 18 Ni 1800 MPa grade maraging steel (parent metal and welded) were used to evaluate the residual strength in 0.015 and 0.03m wide panels. For 0.03 m wide panels which satisfy infinite plate condition up to 0.006 m surface crack length, the residual strength variation between minimum and maximum crack sizes lie within 5% of the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of weldments. Also for larger crack sizes both 0.015 and 0.03 m wide panels yields comparable values for residual strength. The results have significant bearing on flaw detection by non destructive testing (NDT) method which could be used for quality and reliability check on the fabricated component. Stress intensity values for these data makes an interesting observation on failure mode.