The objective of the work is the investigation of the relationship between the mechanisms of the short-term tensile strength and the creep rupture strength at testing temperatures more than 2/3 of the materials' melting temperatures. The fundamental equations relating the materials tensile strength to the creep rupture strength at different temperatures and structural factors are obtained. These equations are derived by the use of the phenomenological and statistical thermodynamics of the crystalline lattice. The derived theoretical equation is used to determine creep on the bases of experimental values of the short-term test. The agreement between experimental and theoretical values of the creep is demonstrated. The presented results can be applied for prediction of the creep strength of new materials, particularly materials with enhanced mechanical properties. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.