The springback of simple geometries can be predicted through theoretical analysis, however problems arise when transferring this analysis to the manufacturing environment. To determine why this is the case, a studyof small curvature free bending through theoreticalanalysis, manufacturing data and Finite Element (FE)simulation was completed.The theoretical analysis provided an understanding of the behavior of springback and gave accurate predictions in a controlled environment. The manufacturing and Finite Element data verified the trends predicted by theory, but lacked in accuracy. The paper concludes by proposing a prediction method based solely on the geometry that is well defined in both environments.<br /