This SAE Standard was prepared by Technical Committee 1, Engine Lubrication, of SAE Fuels and Lubricants Council. The intent is to improve communications among engine manufacturers, engine users, and lubricant marketers in describing lubricant performance characteristics. The key objective is to ensure that a correct lubricant is used in each two-stroke-cycle engine.

Background - SAE J1510 previewed the cooperative effort of SAE, ASTM, API, and CEC in developing a universal classification for engine performance. SAE J1510 provides a great deal of information on the properties of two-stroke-cycle lubricants.

SAE J1536 is a classification in rheological terms only. SAE J1536 is a companion classification to SAE J2116. By use of both SAE J1536 and SAE J2116, any lubricant can be classified in terms of both rheology and engine performance.