Polycrystalline films of CdTe (with grain size up to 100 &mgr;m) were grown by the hot wall close‐spaced vapor transport technique in an Ar atmosphere. In most cases they grow on a zinc‐blende type of structure with a preferential orientation of growth along the ⟨111⟩ directions, as shown by x‐ray diffraction studies. The grain size in the films presents a maximum around 3.5 Torr, as well as a minimum of preferential orientation. The grain size shows an exponential increase in the substrate temperature (Ts) 450–650 °C range. ForTs≤600 °C, the films grow with a ⟨111⟩ preferential crystallographic orientation, whereas forTs>600 °C the preferential orientation changes to the ⟨220⟩ directions. ForTs>600 °C, the films show a mixture of zinc‐blende and wurtzite phases, according to the x‐ray analysis. A Te crystalline phase is detected forTs>550 °C.