AbstractA critical review of research on the development of crystallinity, orientation, and haze in tubular film is presented. We examine the basic methods of characterization of polymer films and interpretation of experimental techniques. Most studies in the literature relate to polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene tubular film. Polymer chain and crystallographic axis orientation have been studied using X‐ray diffraction and birefringence. We critically discuss the representation of such data using biaxial orientation factors. The data appears correlatable in terms of expressing orientation as a function of applied stresses at solidification. It appears that film haze is predominantly caused by surface roughness. This is largely associated with the crystallization of the melt on the process lin