In this paper a fracture criterion is proposed for cracked cylindrical samples of high-strength prestressing steels of different yield strength. The surface crack is assumed to be semi-elliptical, a very adequate geometry to model sharp defects produced by any subcritical mechanism of cracking: mechanical fatigue, stress-corrosion cracking, hydrogen embrittlement or corrosion fatigue. Two fracture criteria with different meanings are considered: a global (energetic) criterion based on the energy release rate G, and a local (stress) criterion based on the stress intensity factor KI. The advantages and disadvantages of both criteria for engineering design are discussed in this paper on the basis of many experimental results of fracture tests on cracked wires of high-strength prestressing steels of different yield strength and with different degrees of strength anisotropy.In Memoriam: The paper is dedicated to the memory of the prominent Spanish civil engineer Eduardo Torroja.