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This study develops two benchmark specimen designs, a U-flexure for elastically induced stresses and a U-bend for plastically induced stresses, to validate residual-stress measurements obtained using neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Measurements performed on ferrite-pearlite steel across three diffraction instruments showed broadly consistent stress profiles, with finite-element predictions providing independent validation. The work demonstrates that these reproducible benchmark samples can support inter-laboratory comparisons, reveal measurement limitations such as near-surface gauge-volume effects, and improve the reliability and standardisation of diffraction-based residual-stress characterisation. Link to article