ESDU 78042 gives experimentally derived stress-strain curves for three typical adhesives; the curves are modelled by a simple equation that is then used in a computer program based on shear lag analysis to obtain in each case the average shear stress corresponding to a peak shear strain. Graphs of the average shear stress are plotted against a parameter involving the length of overlap and the shear modulus of the adhesive. The curves are valuable in assessing the variation of stresses with various design parameters and a worked example illustrates their use.