The anisotropy in mechanical properties of forged isotactic polypropylene (iPP) has been investigated by microhardness indentation and Izod impact tests. The results are important, since the major changes in these properties that have been found can influence the growing number of applications where iPP is indented or impacted in use. The iPP had a molecular weight of 2.9 x 10(5) and an initial fraction of 64% alpha-crystal. For these samples forged at 140 degrees C (resulting in alpha-crystal only plus amorphous), the indentation hardness perpendicular to the plane direction, H(perpendicular to), slightly increased with draw. The hardness tested parallel to the film surface, H(parallel to), decreased rapidly with draw. For the sample forged at 50 degrees C (containing draw-generated smectic), both H(parallel to) and H(perpendicular to) decreased with draw, suggesting the softness of the smectic phase. The anisotropy, H(perpendicular to)/H(parallel to), for samples forged at 50 degrees C is higher than that for samples forged at 140 degrees C at a comparable compression ratio (CR), e.g. at CR = 7.5, H(perpendicular to)/H(parallel to) for 50 degrees C and 140 degrees C are 2.7 and 2, respectively. The impact strength of forged iPP was very different from the results of the indentation test. For samples forged at 50 and 140 degrees C, the strength both parallel and perpendicular to the forged sample surface increased strongly with draw. The strength tested along the planar direction is about twice that tested through the thickness direction. Testing in each direction broke the samples into layers. The mechanism of energy absorption is closely related to the morphology-developed planar orientation with the crystal b-axis orientation normal to the plane direction.