Cracks normally propagate in the opening mode associated with a state of local symmetry at a crack tip. However, the micro- or macrostructure of a material or structure sometimes forces cracks to propagate in a shearing mode. Irrespective of the actual material studied, fracture in shear is frequently asso- ciated with the formation of a large number smaller sigmoidal-shaped cracks in the propagation direction of the major crack. Propagation of the major shear crack is accomplished by coalescing the sigmoidal-shaped cracks. Ex- periments show that the formation of sigmoidal cracks due to shear loading leads to a normal separation of the joined substrates. Theoretical studies show that constraining the local opening of the sigmoidal cracks increases the frac- ture resistance for the propagation of the major crack. In the present study, experiments with a ductile adhesive loaded in shear and where the normal sep- aration is constrained are presented. The experiments are evaluated using the path independent J-integral. The associated cohesive law shows that consid- erable normal compressive stress develops in the adhesive during macroscopic shear loading. It is also concluded that by ignoring the normal separation in the evaluation of the experiments, the strength of the adhesive is underesti- mated. Thus, the procedure developed in earlier studies is conservative from a strength analysis perspective. The present technique might be possible to extend to other materials to reveal their properties in shear fracture.