PurposeThe investigations could guide the structural design and fatigue life prediction of air-conditioning compressor valve plates.Design/methodology/approachThe High-Cycle Fatigue (HCF) and Very-High-Cycle Fatigue (VHCF) behaviors of stainless steel used for air-conditioning compressor valve plates were investigated. Monotonic and cyclic loading conditions were designed to explore the fatigue responses according to the load characteristics of the structure.FindingsThe crack initiation can be observed as the arc-shaped cracks at both sides of specimens and Y-shaped crack bifurcation in the specimens. Moreover, the middle section and the cracks at both ends are not connected to the surface of the specimen. The stress-life results of the materials under two directions (vertical and horizontal) were provided to examine the difference in fatigue strength.Originality/valueMonotonic and cyclic loading conditions were designed to explore the fatigue responses according to the load characteristics of the structure. Based on the experimental data, the results indicate that specimens under cyclic loading conditions could demonstrate better mechanical performance than static loadings.