Abstract Ductile failure in nodular cast iron is explored through uniaxial tension and notched tension experiments. Specimens obtained through tests interrupted at various stages of deformation and failure evolution were examined through quantitative microscopy to discern the mechanisms of failure and to quantitatively evaluate the local strain evolution. Fractographic observations were used to identify the onset and evolution of damage processes during the deformation and failure of nodular cast iron. These tests and observations reveal that void growth and coalescence occurred only within a narrow localized band, whose size is comparable with the size of the graphite nodules; no statistically significant changes in the porosity were observed outside this zone.