A study has been made of the recrystallisation-precipitation interaction in three microalloyed steels, containing respectively V, Nb, and V-Ti, applying two different strain rates. Recrystallised fraction v. time curves were determined and used to draw recrystallisation-precipitation-time-temperature (RPTT) diagrams. The influence of strain rate has been shown to be similar in the three steels. On the basis of the results the value of -0·19 has been found for the exponent of the strain rate, following Dutta and Sellars' model for the parameter t0·05, which differs from the value -0·5 proposed by these authors. Simultaneously, the influence of strain rate on the static recrystallisation critical temperature has been determined, it being observed that an increase in the former leads to a drop in the latter. Furthermore, strain rate is shown to have an influence on the recrystallisation-precipitation interaction, acting on those parameters that best contribute to defining RPTT diagrams In this sense, it was found that an increase in the strain rate led to a drop in the curve nose temperature TN and a reduction in the time necessary for precipitation to finalise t0·95, as well as an increase in the recrystallisation rate. © 2000 IoM Communications Ltd.