The growth of physically small corner cracks under tension-tension fatigue ( R = 0.05) is investigated in a carbon low-alloy steel. A preliminary procedure involving crack initiation under far-field cyclic compression is used. This pre-cracking method is adopted to minimize the effect of residual damage at the tip of the crack grown (and arrested) under cyclic compression on its subsequent tensile fatigue crack growth. Experiments indicate that the growth rate of corner cracks is initially high, then decreases towards a minimum and finally increases, approaching the long-crack growth values. The crack extension at which the growth rate reaches a minimum depends on the initial crack size and shape. The transition to long-crack growth values does not occur at a unique crack length but takes place over a small range of crack lengths.