After rolling of aluminium alloys, static recrystallisation can modify product properties. The variation of properties throughout the stock thickness is of special interest to the producer. Predicting the recrystallisation kinetics by the combination of finite element method (FEM) with the various metallurgical models has attracted tremendous interest in both academia and industry. However, controversial results on the through-thickness distribution of the recrystallisation kinematics have been reported. The present paper attempts to explain this phenomenon from the viewpoint of the recrystallisation mechanism: the total stored energy, the growth rate of recrystallised grains, the Zener Hollomon parameter and the distribution of the equivalent strain. To improve the prediction accuracy, some new approaches are proposed on the calculation of equivalent strain and the Zener-Hollomon parameter. Some aspects related to the experimental establishment of these models are also critiqued. (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers.