A new method for evaluating distribution of residual stresses in bent sheet metals is presented. Due to the non-uniform distribution of strain and stress across thickness, springback on unloading induces residual stress in a bent specimen. The authors have formulated the problem and shown that the springback and residual stresses can be expressed as a function of geometric parameters and material properties of sheet metals, e.g. bending curvature, thickness, Young's modulus, work-hardening index, etc. The layer-removing method was used to determine the residual stresses in the study. By simulating the layer-removing process, analytical measurement of the residual stress was made. The analytical results were compared with the experimental data measured, and a good agreement was found.