This article investigates the possibility of failure by crack-opening mode III (out-of-plane shearing) in sheet–bulk metal forming processes. The investigation makes use of experimentally and theoretically determined fracture-forming limits of aluminium AA1050-H111 sheets with 1 mm thickness, experimental tests in incremental ploughing with a roll-tipped tool and numerical simulation using a commercial finite element programme. Results show that incremental ploughing of thin sheets with a roll-tipped tool under large indentation depths gives rise to transverse cracks that are triggered at the upper groove surface and propagate downward across thickness along an inclined direction to the sheet surface. In contrast to sheet–metal forming processes that only fail by fracture in crack-opening modes I and II, sheet–bulk metal forming processes present the unique ability of failing in all three possible crack-opening modes, namely, in mode III that is typical of bulk metal–forming processes.