The fracture behaviour of high-purity polycrystalline chromium was investigated using bend tests at room temperature in air. It was found that plasticity was dependent largely on surface imperfections. For example, brittle fracture took place in a roughly polished specimen containing a large number of small cracks on the surface. However, once the specimen was polished finely or electropolished, it was able to be bent by more than 90 degrees without showing any brittle fracture. Such a surface effect on the fracture mode is very similar to the observations in glasses and in alkali halide crystals (for example, NaCl and LiF).