They were built to conform to the interwar naval treaties arising from the 1922 Washington and 1930 London conferences, which placed restrictions on the number and size of warships of various types that nations could build.

They showed good manoeuvrability, their hull was well designed and strongly built to withstand depth pressure and explosions that exceeded their test values.

While smaller than contemporary ocean-going submarines, such as the Settembrini class, the 600s were cheaper to build, so that more could be built for the same expenditure.

The success of the 600 Series led to the development of the Flutto class, a wartime design suited for fast production.

The 600 Series submarines served with the Regia Marina during World War II in a full range of front-line duties and missions.