The effective shear moduli, dislocation line energies, dislocation widths, and relative ease of gliding have been calculated for the (0001) [112¯0], (11¯00) [112¯0], (11¯01) [112¯0], (112¯2) [112¯3¯], and (hk.0) [0001] slip systems in each of the hexagonal close‐packed metals Cd, Zn, Mg, Co, Zr, Ti, and Be by applying anisotropic elasticity theory of dislocations. Except for the case of Be, the results correctly explain the choice of prevailing slip systems among the three with a common slip vector ⅓ [112¯0]. The second‐order pyramidal slip, frequently observed in Cd and Zn, cannot be accounted for in terms of its calculated relative ease of gliding. It seems that the extended nature of a dislocation, hence the stacking‐fault energy, may affect the ease of gliding of the dislocation.