Residual stresses in cold-formed sections are traditionally idealized by assuming that they vary linearly across the plate thickness with their maximum values occurring on the surfaces and that these maximum values are proportional to the yield stress. In reality, the distributions of residual stresses are complicated, and depend on many parameters including the mechanical properties of the sheet material and various forming parameters. This paper presents an investigation into the effects of several key parameters on the residual stresses in press-braked stainless steel sections. A finite element-based method for predicting residual stresses in press-braked sections is first introduced, in which the effects of coiling and uncoiling are accounted for analytically. Numerical results from this method are then presented to illustrate the effects of the coiling curvature and mechanical properties on the residual stresses in press-braked stainless steel sections. The results explain why the residual stresses may differ considerably among cold-formed stainless steel sections of similar dimensions.