Abstract Ductile damage behaviour of S185 structural steel is determined by coupling numerical and experimental analyses. Monotonic experimental tests are carried out in five different specimen configurations. These mechanical tests are coupled with image-based methods for assessing displacement and strain fields over the gauge section. Three different ductile damage models proposed in the literature for monotonic loading are analysed. Their governing parameters are determined by comparing experimental and numerical mechanical responses. Measurements provided by digital image correlation and feature-tracking methods are used for calibrating and validating non-linear finite element modelling. Numerical analyses built in ANSYS are carried out to compute the necessary parameters (stress–strain and triaxiality histories) to calibrate Johnson–Cook (JC) and Kanvinde–Deierlein (KD) fracture criteria. Also, a calibration of the Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman (GTN) model is performed based on an explicit finite element analysis in ABAQUS.