Single crystals of CsI having different Tl concentrations have been grown by a gradient freeze technique. Carbon films were deposited on the inside surface of fused silica crucibles to avoid sticking of the grown crystals. The crystals could be extracted easily from the crucibles without involving the inversion process at higher temperatures. Effects of varying growth parameters and after-growth thermal treatment on crystal properties like daylight coloration and radiation hardness were studied. Characterization techniques including high resolution X-ray diffraction, induced absorption, photoluminescence, afterglow and thermally stimulated luminescence were employed to evaluate the grown crystals. Gamma-ray detectors were fabricated using the grown crystals that showed good linearity and nearly 7.5% resolution at 662 keV. This established a very simple and low cost method to grow small to medium size (35 mm in diameter and 25 mm in length) CsI crystals for various applications. © 2012 ElsevierB.V. All rights reserved.