Due to the high expenses of large scale fatigue tests, numerical methods are needed that allow to estimate the fatigue life of structural details. In the following presented is the method which is based on the assumption that the fatigue life of structural details consists of the crack initiation phase which can be described by local approach method and the crack propagation phase to the failure which can be described by the fracture mechanical method. From the calibration with test results, the initial crack length is proposed at which the crack initiation phase ends and crack propagation phase begins. The applicability of this method for different structural details is also shown.