Tension tests provide information on the strength and ductility of materials under uniaxial tensile stresses. This information may be useful in comparisons of materials, alloy development, quality control, and design under certain circumstances.

The results of tension tests of specimens machined to standardized dimensions from selected portions of a part or material may not totally represent the strength and ductility properties of the entire end product or its in-service behavior in different environments.

These test methods are considered satisfactory for acceptance testing of commercial shipments. The test methods have been used extensively in the trade for this purpose.

1.1 These test methods cover the tension testing of metallic materials in any form at room temperature, specifically, the methods of determination of yield strength, yield point elongation, tensile strength, elongation, and reduction of area.

Note 1-A complete metric companion to Test Methods E 8 has been developed, therefore, no metric equivalents are shown in these test methods. Committee E28 was granted an exception in 1997 by the Committee on Standards to maintain E8 and E8M as separate companion standards rather than combining standards as recommended by the Form and Style Manual.

Note 2-Gage lengths in these test methods are required to be 4D for most round specimens. Test specimens made from powder metallurgy (P/M) materials are exempt from this requirement by industry-wide agreement to keep the pressing of the material to a specific projected area and density.

Note 3-Exceptions to the provisions of these test methods may need to be made in individual specifications or test methods for a particular material. For examples, see Test Methods and Definitions A 370 and Test Methods B 557.

Note 4-Room temperature shall be considered to be 50 to 100F unless otherwise specified.

1.2This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.