Abstract We calibrate a subgrain‐size piezometer using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) data collected from experimentally deformed samples of olivine and quartz. Systematic analyses of angular and spatial resolution test the suitability of each data set for inclusion in calibration of the subgrain‐size piezometer. To identify subgrain boundaries, we consider a range of critical misorientation angles and conclude that a 1° threshold provides the optimal piezometric calibration. The mean line‐intercept length, equivalent to the subgrain‐size, is found to be inversely proportional to the von Mises equivalent stress for data sets both with and without the correction of Holyoke and Kronenberg (2010, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2010.08.001 ). These new piezometers provide stress estimates from EBSD analyses of polymineralic rocks without the need to discriminate between relict and recrystallized grains and therefore greatly increase the range of rocks that may be used to constrain geodynamic models.