Under certain conditions, cast stainless steels develop highly aligned grain structures. When viewed macroscopically, such polycrystalline aggregates exhibit considerable elastic anisotropy and variation of wave speeds with direction. Stainless steels with aligned microstructures are often found in nuclear reactor components and require special attention in the design and interpretation of ultrasonic testing. Such phenomena as beam skewing and excess beam divergence, which are caused by elastic anisotropy, can severely confuse or constrain the detection and evaluation of flaws. Furthermore, when these components are integrated into structures by welding, the direction and degree of alignment in adjacent regions may be different and hence inhomogeneities are presented. Proper inspection of these layered, anisotropic materials is made more effective by the availability of a numerical model to predict the propagation of the ultrasonic fields through them.