In an effort to establish a universal model to predict the mechanical properties from processing conditions, tensile tests have been conducted of four single-structure steels, namely, ferrite, pearlite, bainite, and martensite; the data obtained were analyzed in terms of the Ludwik, Hollomon, and Swift equations to characterize their work-hardening behavior. It was found that the differential Crussard-Jaoul (C-J) analysis, based on the Ludwik equation, can describe the work-hardening behavior of these steels fairly well.The differential C-J analysis has shown that the ferrite and pearlite steels deform with two stages of work hardening, each stage associated with a distinctive value of the work-hardening exponent n. Martensitic steels exhibit single-stage work hardening. In bainite, the behavior was found to be dependent on transformation temperature; upper and lower bainite exhibit a behavior similar to pearlitic steels and quenched martensite, respectively. This can be well understood in terms of the similarity of the corresponding microstructures.On the basis of these results, the work-hardening behavior of single-structure steels falls into four categories, according to the n value. This classification may serve as a useful guide to predict the flow behavior of steels with a known microstructure or to judge the microstructure merely by stressstrain curves, without microstructural observations.