The magnetic Barkhausen effect is useful for assessing 1D and 2D stress states of ferromagnetic steel objects. However, its extension to technically important materials, such as duplex anisotropic steels, remains challenging. The determination of magnetisation inside the studied object and the electromagnet for various geometries, materials and magnetisation angles is a key issue. Three-dimensional, dynamic finite element analysis has been applied to reproduce time-varying fields inside and outside the prototype of a double-core magnetising setup. Useful relationships between characteristics (peak height and location) and magnetic induction vector have been proposed. The qualitative plausibility of simulation has been validated with an experiment and an analytic formula of skin depth. The angular anisotropy of magnetic Barkhausen effect (MBN) in an isotropic sample has been shown in simulation and confirmed experimentally. The numerical model, despite some limitations, seems to be an efficient tool for calibrating stress/MBN relationships at least in isotropic structural steel components.Keywords Electromagnetic finite element method · Dynamic magnetisation of bulk volume · Eddy currents · Magnetic Barkhausen effect (MBN) B Marek Augustyniak