Cold-drawn pearlitic steel wires are widely used in numerous engineering fields. One of the most powerful analysis methods on determining the dislocation character of this heavily cold worked material is to investigate the X–ray diffraction line-profile broadening. Fourier line–broadening analysis in steel wires with near eutectoid composition indicates that with cumulative true strains, the initial dislocation density of 6×1014m-2in the rods increases at least one magnitude in wires. Up to 1.5×1016m-2of dislocation density is found in the ferrite lamella of wires with a true strain of 2.77.