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The effect of red scale on the bendability of a thermomechanically rolled and direct quenched pilot-scale strip steel has been studied by comparing the bending behaviour of adjacent areas with and without red scale. The yield strength of the studied 8 mm thick strip was 960 MPa. The local microstructure and texture below the different scale surfaces were characterized using FESEM and FESEM-EBSD, chemical compositions were determined using GDOES, microhardness profiles were measured and bendability was determined using three-point brake press bending. Red scale was found to significantly affect bendability especially when the bend axis is transverse to the rolling direction. The minimum usable punch radius for defect-free bends in the absence of red scale was 12 mm (1.5 x thickness) while under red scale it was 30 mm (3.75 x thickness). Beneath the red scale the microstructure 50 to 400 μm below the surface was clearly different to that in the absence of red scale. Without the red scale the microstructure was mainly granular bainite with small fraction of upper bainite and polygonal ferrite. Below the red scale the microstructure was a mixture of upper bainite and granular bainite. As a result of the microstructural differences, the subsurface hardness changed substantially from 360 HV in the absence of red scale to 410 HV with red scale. The chemical composition did not change as a result of the presence or absence of red scale, which rules this factor out as possible cause of differences in bendability or final microstructure. Possible explanations for the observed effects of red scale on subsurface microstructure, and microstructure on bendability, are discussed in the paper.