[en] Inoculated low-carbon plate steels have been developed which provide improved low temperature toughness compared with conventional HSLA steels, and also exhibit better weldability with high heat input welding processes. These characteristics make inoculated steels suitable for large structures in severe environments. The improved toughness and weldability are attributed to the formation of microstructures containing fine, intragranular ferrite which nucleates on inclusion dispersions, similar to acicular ferrite formation in weld metals. The development of various inoculated steels is described and the role of inclusions in intragranular ferrite formation is reviewed. The primary role of inclusions is to provide heterogeneous nucleation sites, but nucleation appears to be enhanced to a certain extent by a number of other phenomena at the inclusion surface. Various phases have been shown to enhance intragranular ferrite nucleation, and the most effective of these for inoculation of plate steels are phases rich in titanium and oxygen. Inoculated Ti-O steels have found limited commercial acceptance, but further development depends on achievement of reliable steelmaking technology to optimise microstructural control with particles