Laminated polymer composite structures manufactured using conventional layup technique, are prone to edge delamination, which can be suppressed by wrap-around technique. Present study is in regard to understanding of the interlaminar normal stress distribution ahead of the delamination front with respect to delamination suppression. An initial delamination of symmetric composite laminates with and without wrap-around is considered for performing static analysis of these laminated composites structures using finite element analyses. Understanding of delamination parameter was further extended in terms of strain energy release rate utilizing modified crack closure integral technique for various virtual crack extension sizes. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.