A procedure for calculating transmitted load distribution along face width as well as tooth stresses of straight bevel gears is introduced. The procedure is based upon the Tredgold assumption, which assumes that a straight bevel gear, when projected on a plane tangent to the back cone, can be approximated as a spur gear having a pitch radius equal to the back-cone radius and same pitch as the bevel gear. To increase the solution accuracy, the bevel gear is divided into a number of spur gears by a finite number of slicing planes that are parallel to the plane of projection. Each slice is then analyzed as a separate spur gear, and tooth stiffness, load, and stresses are determined separately. As a result, the load and stress distribution for the actual bevel gear are obtained. The procedure assumes that the sum of tooth deflection, profile modification, and manufacturing errors at the pairs of contacting slices of the pinion and gear are all equal, in order to avoid overlap and tooth interference. It is also assumed that the sum of the normal loads contributed by each pair of contacting slices is equal to the total normal load on the entire bevel gear, which is obtainable from the transmitted Power/torque. Once the normal loads for all slices representing the bevel gear are determined, fillet and Hertzian stresses are calculated from the applied loads and slice geometry. Consequently, the distribution of such stresses for the actual bevel gear are also calculated. An example is presented to explain the criterion. Experimental substantiation, using strain gauge measurements, is also presented to demonstrate the validity of the criterion.