This SAE Standard was prepared by Technical Committee 6, small Engine lubricants, of the SAE Fuels and Lubricants Division. 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.

SAE J 1510 previewed the coopoerative effort of SAE, ASTM, API, and CEC in developing a universal classification for engine performance. SAE J 1510 provides a great deal of information on the properties of two-stroke-cycle lubricants.

SAE J 1536 is a classification in rheological terms only. SAE J 1536 is a companion classification to SAE J 2116. By use of both SAE J 1536 and SAE J 2116, any lubricant can be classificed in terms of both rheology and engine performance.