The substructure of a single grain in an electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) data map is studied, focusing on the influence of the grain boundary configuration on the misorientation to the average grain orientation of data points close to the grain boundary. For most grain boundary segments a certain degree of linking between the misorientations to the average orientation of the grain exists and large deviations from the average orientation of the grain are observed close to the triple junctions of the boundary segments. Changes of the misorientation over one boundary segment are analysed and possible explanations for these variations are discussed. It is suggested that the variations of the misorientation over the boundary segment can be attributed to the requirements of stress equilibrium and strain compatibility. Also the tendency of the grain boundary to lower its surface energy might have a significant influence on the misorientation profile and therefore on the subdivision behaviour of the grains.