The mechanism responsible for secondary recrystallization is still disputed in grain oriented silicon steel. This is mainly related to the complexly of itself. In this work, the occurrence of {210}<001> texture through secondary recrystallization was observed in the grain oriented silicon steel with Cu2S as main inhibitor. In order to elucidate the abnormal growth of {210}<001> grain, texture evolutions in Fe-3% Si-0.5% Cu steel were investigated using micro-texture analysis. In addition, the {210}<001> texture was used to validate the current mechanisms of secondary recrystallization. The result indicates that the surface energy plays a significant role in the selection of secondary recrystallization besides the characteristics boundaries which are linked to high mobility. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.