Downloaded from SAE International by Kalmar Industries Corp, Friday, August 11, 2023

SURFACE VEHICLE J1701™ FEB2017

INFORMATION REPORT Issued 1996-07

Reaffirmed 2013-04
Revised 2017-02

Superseding J1701 APR2013

Torque-Tension Tightening for Inch Series Fasteners

RATIONALE

This revision is limited in scope. Section 5.4 (Check Procedure) has been removed from this Information Report. It was
determined to be outside the scope as an advisory guide.

FOREWORD

Fundamentally, threaded fasteners are required to create a clamping force or load on the assembled joint to prevent
loosening. To accomplish this, a tensile loading is applied onto a bolt or screw by itself or by a nut tightened on the bolt or
screw.

The axial stress in them produces a clamping force equal to the product of the proof-load stress, reduced by a design factor,
and the core area of the bolt or screw.

Although clamping or tension load can be measured by load cells and strain gauges, these methods are impractical on the
production line. The most practical methods of achieving control of joint clamp load involve torque control, tightening angle
control, or combinations of torque and angle. In some cases, a torque versus angle yield method is utilized, particularly
when tightening 5/8 in and larger fastener sizes, but measurement and assembly equipment is sensitive. Therefore, it
becomes very important to understand the relationship between torque and tension.

1. SCOPE

This SAE Information Report is provided as an advisory guide. Individual application discretion is recommended. The
content has been presented as accurately as possible, but responsibility for its application lies with the user. The document
covers the variables in the torque-tension relationship: friction, materials, temperature, humidity, fastener and mating part
finishes, surfaces, and the kind of wrenching employed.

Also, described in this document is the torque management required to achieve correct fastener joint tightening.

The thread fit of fasteners must be in accordance with Class 2A for external and Class 2B for internal inch threads.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SAE Technical Standards Board Rules provide that: “This report is published by SAE to advance the state of technical and engineering sciences. The use of this report is entirely
voluntary, and its applicability and suitability for any particular use, including any patent infringement arising therefrom, is the sole responsibility of the user.”
SAE reviews each technical report at least every five years at which time it may be revised, reaffirmed, stabilized, or cancelled. SAE invites your written comments and
suggestions.
Copyright © 2017 SAE International
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of SAE.
TO PLACE A DOCUMENT ORDER: Tel: 877-606-7323 (inside USA and Canada) SAE values your input. To provide feedback on this
Tel: +1 724-776-4970 (outside USA) Technical Report, please visit
Fax: 724-776-0790 http://standards.sae.org/J1701_201702
Email: [email protected]
SAE WEB ADDRESS: http://www.sae.org
 Downloaded from SAE International by Kalmar Industries Corp, Friday, August 11, 2023

SAE INTERNATIONAL J1701™ FEB2017 Page 2 of 5

2. REFERENCES

2.1 Related Publications

The following publications are provided for information purposes only and are not a required part of this SAE Technical
Report.

2.1.1 SAE Publications

Available from SAE International, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001, Tel: 877-606-7323 (inside USA
and Canada) or +1 724-776-4970 (outside USA), www.sae.org.

SAE J174 Torque-Tension Test Procedure for Steel Threaded Fasteners - Inch Series

SAE J995 Mechanical and Material Requirements for Steel Nuts

SAE J1648 Protective Coatings for Fasteners

3. EXPLANATION OF TIGHTENING TERMS

3.1 Torque is the product of force x lever arm length. It is the moment resistance of the fastener and its components to
tightening, expressed in in-oz, in-lb, and ft-lb.

3.2 Turn Screw or Bolt and Turn Nut Terms describe which mating part is tightened. For turn screw, the head of the
screw or bolt is turned against a panel into either a panel with a tapped thread or separate nut component.

3.3 For turn nut, the nut is threaded onto a screw or bolt and is tightened against the panel surface.

3.4 Clamping Load occurs when the screw or bolt is stretched when the fastener is tightened. It is equal and opposite
to the tensile force developed in the screw or bolt and is expressed as pounds (lb).

3.5 Inertia is the tendency of a body to continue in motion after being subjected to a force in a specific direction until
acted upon by an outside force. In tightening, friction between mating parts and bearing against panel or part surfaces
is the major contributing outside force and has to be overcome. Inertia of the rotating power tool is another factor
which must be considered.

4. VARIABLES IN THE RELATIONSHIP OF CLAMPING LOAD TO APPLIED TORQUE

4.1 Friction

The friction resistance torque is the most important of all of the variables. It has two components, the friction resistance of
the applied nut fastener with respect to mating part threads, and the bearing surface against joint members. Increasing the
clamping tension force on the screw or bolt increases the resistance to turning.

4.2 Fastener Materials

Characteristic properties of hardness and surface condition can contribute to friction variability thus affecting tightening
torque to obtain the same clamping load.

4.2.1 Nonheat-treatable low-carbon stainless steels and other soft alloys cause increased friction resistance resulting in
higher tightening torque for a given clamp load.

4.2.2 Hardened steel or hard alloy fasteners have a harder slippery surface reducing friction and thereby requiring lower
tightening torque.

4.2.3 Special materials, rubber, plastics, etc., either as fabricated fasteners or attached to them, also affect torque if they
contact the rubbing surfaces during the tightening.
 Downloaded from SAE International by Kalmar Industries Corp, Friday, August 11, 2023

SAE INTERNATIONAL J1701™ FEB2017 Page 3 of 5

4.3 Surface Conditions, such as coatings or effects of the environment applied to fasteners and bearing surfaces will
affect tightening torque requirements for a given clamp load.

4.3.1 The roughness, coarseness, or abrasiveness of coatings will increase required torque.

4.3.2 Decreased friction due to the nature of the coating including oil, wax, teflon, or other lubricants will reduce required
torque.

4.3.3 Interferences due to dirt, rust, burrs and galling, or seizing caused by soft coatings (zinc is an example) on fasteners,
mating parts, and panels increases required torque.

4.3.4 Hardness of the fastener, its mating part, or the joint material will reduce required torque.

4.3.5 Temperature contraction, especially if the assembly tightening was made while warm, will reduce clamping load. If
the fastener is at a higher temperature than the assembly, then the clamping load increases upon cooling.
Adjustments to assembly torque must accommodate these conditions.

4.3.6 Humidity will cause reduced friction reducing required torque.

4.3.7 Joint relaxation can occur if joint material can deform under load and/or time. In such cases, special torque
sequencing may be required.

4.4 Wrenching

The method of tightening has a profound influence on required torque.

4.4.1 The slow deliberate turning by hand wrenching allows the assembly to settle somewhat during tightening thus
negating some of the effects of joint relaxation.

4.4.2 High air pressure or electric power tool fastener tightening involving rotation contribute to lower torque. The use of
inertia lessens the effect of static friction, but can increase torsional loading of bolts or screws.

5. TORQUE MANAGEMENT

To determine how much hand or power tool torque should be applied to a fastener assembly or how much turn-of-the-nut
tightening is required, consideration must be directed to the development of these methods.

5.1 Theoretical Calculations to Obtain Torque Guide

5.1.1 Empirical Equation

T = KDW (Eq. 1)

where:

T = torque (in-lb, ft-lb)

D = screw or bolt nominal size (inch)

W = screw or bolt tension (lb-oz)

K = torque factor

5.1.2 The tension of the screw or bolt is calculated by multiplying the usable screw or bolt tensile strength by the tensile-
stress core area of the screw or bolt. The nominal clamp load stress is assumed as 75% of proof load.
 Downloaded from SAE International by Kalmar Industries Corp, Friday, August 11, 2023

SAE INTERNATIONAL J1701™ FEB2017 Page 4 of 5

5.1.3 The torque factor is the critical parameter in Equation 1 influenced primarily by the frictional conditions along the
thread flank and at the bearing surfaces.

The other influence on “K” is the relative resiliency of the fastener and joint material.

a. Therefore:

K = K1 + K2 + K3
(Eq. 2)

where:

K1 represents the torque factor wasted by friction on the bearing surface of the nut or bolt, approximately 50% of
the total torque factor

K2 factor represents the wasted friction on the contact flanks of the threads, about 40% of the total “K”

K3 factor represents the useful torque producing the bolt tension, about 10% of the total “K”

b. K is 0.15/0.20 when bolts, nuts, and washers of the fastener joint are clean and coated with a thin film of protective oil.
When dirt, rust, and other defects of field storage and environmental exposure are present, K can be 0.25/0.40. Refer
to Table 1 for torque K factors for other conditions.

Table 1 - Torque factors for surface

conditions of mating fasteners

Mating Parts K
Dry, clean with thin film of oil 0.15/0.20

Additional lubricating coatings of oil,

wax, or dissimilar plating or hard washer 0.10/0.15

Thread and head bearing surfaces

covered with high-performance lubri- can be as
cants or with anti-seize compounds low as 0.05

Combinations of certain materials such as

Austenite stainless steel screws/bolts can be as
and parts not lubricated or coated high as 0.35

5.2 Clamp load and torque calculations based on the aforementioned formula for dry and lubricated conditions are
tabulated in Table 2.

5.3 Turn-of-the-Nut Method

The previous sections dwelled on tightening torque to produce clamping tension. The turn-of-the-nut method can produce
satisfactory clamping when the joint is completely closed prior to the turn movement.

Since the basis for tightening threaded fasteners is screw or bolt tension, stretching the bolt by turning the nut a number of
degrees clockwise after finger or snug tight will accomplish this. The bolt stretch is the degrees turned portion of the 360°
pitch dimension. The number of degrees turned depends upon the strength of the bolt and the joint thickness.

This document has not elaborated on the method because it is not effective unless the joint is closed under the screw/bolt
head or nut. Nevertheless, turn-of-the-nut is the most practical for 5/8 inch and larger sizes.
 Downloaded from SAE International by Kalmar Industries Corp, Friday, August 11, 2023

SAE INTERNATIONAL J1701™ FEB2017 Page 5 of 5

Table 2 - Torque-tension relationships for SAE grades 2, 5, and 8

Nominal Grade 2 Grade 2 Grade 2 Grade 5 Grade 5 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade 8 Grade 8
Size Stress Clamp Torque Torque Clamp Torque Torque Clamp Torque Torque
and Area (1) Load Dry K = 0.2 Lub K = 0.15 Load Dry K = 0.2 Lub K = 0.15 Load Dry K = 0.2 Lub K = 0.15
Threads/Inch in2 lb in-lb in-lb lb in-lb in-lb lb in-lb in-lb

0.250-28 0.03637 1500 75.0 56.0 2319 116.0 87.0 3273 164 123

0.250-20 0.03182 1313 66.0 49.0 2029 101.0 76.0 2864 143 107
0.3125-24 0.05806 2395 150.0 112.0 3700 230.0 173.0 5225 327 245

0.3125-18 0.05243 2163 135.0 101.0 3342 209.0 157.0 4719 295 221

0.375-24 0.08783 3623 272.0 204.0 5600 420.0 315.0 7905 593 445
0.375-16 0.07749 3196 240.0 180.0 4940 370.0 278.0 6974 523 392

0.4375-20 0.11870 4896 428.0 321.0 7567 662.0 496.0 10683 935 700

0.4375-14 0.10630 4385 384.0 288.0 6777 593.0 445.0 9567 837 628
0.500-20 0.15995 6598 660.0 495.0 10197 1020.0 764.0 14396 1440 1080

0.500-13 0.14190 5853 585.0 439.0 9046 904.0 678.0 12771 1277 958

Nominal Grade 2 Grade 2 Grade 2 Grade 5 Grade 5 Grade 5 Grade 8 Grade 8 Grade 8
Size Stress Clamp Torque Torque Clamp Torque Torque Clamp Torque Torque
and Area (1) Load Dry K = 0.2 Lub K = 0.15 Load Dry K = 0.2 Lub K = 0.15 Load Dry K = 0.2 Lub K = 0.15
Threads/Inch in2 lb ft-lb ft-lb lb ft-lb ft-lb lb ft-lb ft-lb

0.5625-18 0.20298 8373 78 59 12940 121 91 18268 171 128

0.5625-12 0.18195 7505 70 53 11600 109 82 16376 154 115

0.625-18 0.25595 10558 110 82 16317 170 127 23036 240 180
0.625-11 0.22600 9322 97 73 14407 150 113 20340 212 159

0.750-16 0.37296 15385 192 144 23776 297 223 33566 420 315

0.750-10 0.33446 13796 172 129 21532 269 201 30101 376 282
1.000-12 0.66304 — — — 42269 704 528 59674 995 746

1.000-8 0.60574 — — — 38616 644 483 54517 909 681

Tensile Strength 74000 psi 120000 psi 150000 psi

Proof Load Stress 55000 psi 85000 psi 120000 psi

CAUTION: The previously listed torque and resulting tension are provided as an advisory guide. Individual application discretion is recommended. The
content has been presented as accurately as possible, but responsibility for its application lies with the user.
NOTE 1: The stress area of threaded series not included in Table 2 may be computed from the equation:

2
AS = 0.7854  D – 0.9743 ⁄ n )
(Eq. 3)
where:

As= Stress area in in2

D = Diameter in inches
n = Threads per inch

6. NOTES

6.1 Revision Indicator

A change bar (l) located in the left margin is for the convenience of the user in locating areas where technical revisions, not
editorial changes, have been made to the previous issue of this document. An (R) symbol to the left of the document title
indicates a complete revision of the document, including technical revisions. Change bars and (R) are not used in original
publications, nor in documents that contain editorial changes only.

PREPARED BY THE SAE FASTENERS COMMITTEE