A new test procedure for connections assembled with mechanical fasteners is presented. The procedure provides information on cyclic and dynamic characteristies that will allow the relative performance of connections manufactured with different materials to be directly compared. An equivalent energy elastic-perfectly plastic system is defined that allows comparison of initial stiffness, yield load, and ductility on an equivalent basis. The hysteretic and equivalent viscous damping are also determined to provide information on the energy dissipation characteristics of the connection. Adoption of this test procedure will provide information that will allow engineers and architects to evaluate the performance of competing materials with direct comparisons. It will also provide uniform data from which revisions to the model building codes and design specifications for each material can be made on an equivalent basis.