The 7.62×51mm CETME round is a variant of the 7.62×51mm NATO rifle cartridge with a plastic-cored lead bullet and a reduced propellant charge.
It was produced as a joint venture by the Spanish Government design and development establishment known as CETME (Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales, or "Center for Technical Studies of Special Materials") and the German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch.
The 7.62mm CETME had a lighter full-metal-jacketed, plastic-cored lead bullet with a reduced powder charge.
When the Modelo B was adopted by the Spanish military as the Modelo 58 in 1958, 7.62×51mm CETME was the standard rifle cartridge but a notable change occurred when Spanish Army officially made a move to the full-power 7.62×51mm NATO standard cartridge.
This decision forced the CETME Model 58 to be internally reworked to accept the more powerful round.