Italian high-explosive anti-personnel hand grenades are almost totally of the "offensive" type. Althrough the loading factor is usually low, the grenade bodies are not adapted for maximum fragmentation. The anti-tank grenades are adaptations of the anti-personnel grenades with an additional charge. There is no evidence of the use of shaped charges in Italian anti-tank grenades. Likewise, the chemical grenades that are not fragible are made of adapted anti-personnel grenade bodies and mechanisms with a chemical filler. The Italians did not make use of rifle grenade, but did use a small mortar, not unlike a grenade projector, to fire a mortar grenade.

Italian grenades are of the impact type. They incorporate an "all-ways" acting fuze which arms in flight. For that reason, grenades in the armed position are very sensitive.