Dent resistance is one of the main requirements of the automotive exterior panel. Researchers use different methods like experimentation, analytical predictions and numerical methods to evaluate the sheet's dent performance. This work focused primarily on assessing the dent performance of high strength Interstitial free steel of 0.7mm thickness. Laboratory specimens are tested at the different pre-strain levels by forming the sheet to different depths. A semi-empirical relation is developed in the present work to estimate the optimum strain levels to be achieved in the forming for better dent performance. This relation can be used primarily for the performance comparison of the different steel grades as numerical analysis and experimentation needs more resources and time © 2021 Int. J. Mech. Eng. Rob. Res. All Rights Reserved.