The abbreviation for the Society of Automotive Engineers, an organization that develops globally recognized standards for vehicle components, fluids, and diagnostic protocols. In the shop, it most commonly refers to fractional inch-based fastener sizes as opposed to metric, or to motor oil viscosity grades like 5W-30.
Heard on the job
Hand me the SAE wrench set, this old block is covered in half-inch and nine-sixteenths bolts.
Also heard as
- Society of Automotive Engineers