ISO 898-1:2009 specifies mechanical and physical properties of bolts, screws and studs made of carbon steel and alloy steel when tested at an ambient temperature range of 10 °C to 35 °C. Fasteners - the term used when bolts, screws and studs are considered all together - that conform to its requirements are evaluated at that ambient temperature range. Information is given on fasteners that do not retain the specified mechanical and physical properties at elevated temperatures and/or lower temperatures.

ISO 898-1:2009 excludes certain fasteners that do not fulfil its tensile or torsional requirements because the geometry of their heads reduce the shear area in the head compared to the stress area in the thread. These include fasteners having a low head, with or without external driving feature, a low round or cylindrical head with internal driving feature or a countersunk head with internal driving feature (see 8.2).

It is applicable to bolts, screws and studs made of carbon steel or alloy steel, having a triangular ISO metric screw thread according to ISO 68-1, with a coarse pitch thread M1,6 to M39, and fine pitch thread M8°1 to M39°3, with diameter/pitch combinations according to ISO 261 and ISO 262, having thread tolerances according to ISO 965-1, ISO 965-2 and ISO 965-4.

It is not applicable to set screws and similar threaded fasteners not under tensile stresses (see ISO 898-5).

It does not specify requirements for such properties as weldability, corrosion resistance, resistance to shear stress, torque/clamp force performance, or fatigue resistance.