<p>The process design criterion of a conventional tube drawing process, which has evolved empirically in industrial sites, is revealed based on various academic optimal tube drawing process designs. The optimal process design for the conventional tube drawing process is made using a combined finite element method (FEM) and optimization method. Three process design criteria, including the drawing energy minimization, axial residual stress homogeneity, and effective strain homogeneity, are employed. The characteristics of these three process design criteria are revealed through comparative analysis of finite element (FE) predictions of the key factors, i.e., drawing energy, axial residual stress, and effective strain of their corresponding optimized tube drawing processes. As a result, only the optimal process design for effective strain homogeneity increases a relatively small forming load compared to the other optimized processes. It also produces the axial residual stress close to the optimal process design for axial residual stress homogeneity. Based on these new findings, it is concluded that the optimal process design for effective strain homogeneity with the drawing load or residual stress as a constraint is a practical optimal process design nearest to the conventional tube drawing process design.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>