The selection of fastener materials starts with the user’s need to have a fastener made from the same material as the joint or one compatible with it. The fastener material must have the capability to provide high tensile strength, notch strength, ductility, and yield strength high enough to take tightening loads with minimum plastic deformation. Resistance to corrosion and stress corrosion is important, as is the capability to provide high fatigue resistance. Certain manufacturing techniques can provide these characteristics. Temperature resistance to change in properties over the widest possible range is valuable, although fasteners have been developed for specific temperatures.
Finally, the fastener must be incorporated without difficulty into the overall structural design of a product. The performance of fasteners from different materials may not always be the same for the same material in each test. Standardization of tests is necessary in the presentation of any data on fastener materials and the fasteners made from them.