This paper is published on http://www.boltcouncil.org by Salim Brahimi, President at IBECA Technologies Corp, Chairman, Committee F16 (Fasteners) at ASTM International, The objective of this paper is to distil the latest knowledge related to hydrogen embrittlement into know-how in a manner that is complete yet simple, and directly applicable to fasteners. The topic is divided into basic components. First is a description of the theory and mechanism of hydrogen damage, followed by a discussion of conditions that are necessary for hydrogen embrittlement failure to occur. The fundamentals are followed by a description of HE test methods, guidelines for processing, surface cleaning, coating (particularly electroplating), and baking.