Three different polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resins were selected to develop porous membranes through melt extrusion and stretching. The effect of the polymer rheology on chain elongation in the melt state was studied. The possibility of generating a row-nucleated lamellar crystallization for precursor films was investigated. The arrangement and orientation of the crystalline phase were examined by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The extrusion conditions and the blend compositions were adjusted to obtain uniform precursor films with appropriate morphology. Annealing, cold and hot stretching were consequently employed to generate and enlarge the pores. It was found that a proper crystalline structure of the precursor films was strongly dependent on molecular weight of PVDF and process conditions. Blending of two PVDF resins having low and high molecular weights improved the water vapor permeability of the obtained membranes. The tensile response was monitored during the stretching process for membrane development and the results revealed a distinct behavior for the membranes having low or high permeability. The membranes with low permeability did not show any significant strain hardening during stretching whereas for highly permeable membranes, a noticeable strain hardening behavior was observed. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1219-1229, 2009