Because of the difficulty of measuring anisotropy in steel tubes, industries often rate overall tube strength based on tensile properties of the raw steel, or of the steel in a single direction (along the axis of the tube). This paper discusses the use of mini-tensile testing to develop a much more accurate way of assessing the anisotropic strength of these steel tubes, which is typically unobtainable through conventional tensile testing. In this study, the amount of anisotropy is determined within the tube by measuring the yield strength of the steel in three conditions (raw, strained, and strained and aged), three orientations (radial, transverse (hoop), axial (longitudinal), and locations (inner diameter, neutral axis, and outer diameter) within the tube. The data shows that the strength is approximately 10 % greater for the strained and strained and aged steels in the transverse direction than in the axial direction because of work hardening during the upsetting process. Microstructural examination using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy was used to explain the mini-tensile test results and to support the observation that the steel tubes are more likely to fail in axial tension than in burst (internal pressure radially outward) and collapse (external pressure radially inward).