The crack arresting holes are one of the important ways to extend the fatigue life of metal structural components, and the influences on the fatigue crack propagation rate and fatigue life are complex and changeable. Therefore, for the metal plate of industrial pure iron DT4C, the influences of different positions of the crack arresting hole relative to the fatigue crack tip (i.e., the material removal amount at the front of crack tip was 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 mm, respectively) on the fatigue life and crack propagation rate of the cracked specimen were studied by the extended compact tensile test (E-CT) specimens. The results show that due to the difference in the propagation rate of crack tip along the thickness direction and the existence of the plastic zone at the crack tip during the fatigue crack propagation process, the amount of material removed at the front of crack tip has an important impact on the life extension of the crack arresting hole, and the degree of influence varies greatly. Under the same fatigue load and the stress ratio of approximately 0, the fatigue crack propagation rate and fatigue life of specimen are most significant when the material removal amount at the front of crack tip is 0.6 mm, and compared with the conventional specimens, the fatigue life is increased by more than two times.