The key to Macclesfield's point was the hard work of the back four consisting of David Morley, Michael Welch, Tony Barras and substitute Matthew Carragher, who stood firm against tremendous pressure they faced in the second period.
The initial stages of the game saw the Silkmen set the pace, with Paul Musselwhite blocking a shot from Kevin Townson with his legs and then Mark Bailey fired in a cross which Townson headed down and again the keeper had to be alert.
Ex-Scunthorpe man Paul Harsley then knocked in a corner which was touched on by Morley and, after Musselwhite got a hand to it, Lee Ridley cleared off the line.
Scunthorpe then began to make inroads into the visitors' rearguard, with youngster Andy Keogh getting the better of Bailey before firing into the side netting.
Ian Baraclough then opened up the Macclesfield defence and laid off for Richard Kell who volleyed wide, and Matthew Sparrow forced Steve Wilson into a good save.
The woodwork then came to Macclesfield's rescue as Keogh lobbed the ball in, and Wilson finger tipped it onto the bar while Sparrow saw a shot deflected off a post.
On the interval whistle, Harsley caused problems for the Iron, with a free-kick from the left which just curled round the far post.
Scunthorpe displayed a more positive attitude in the second spell restricting the visitors to sporadic breaks, although Kevin McIntyre forced Musselwhite to get down well to a 30-yard shot, and Matt Tipton might have done better on another occasion.
However, it was the Iron who will rue their missed opportunities with Hayes and Sparrow having shots blocked, whilst substitute Michael Rankine turned well to strike a right foot shot inches over the bar from long range.
Hays drove another shot straight at Wilson, and in the closing minutes, both Cleveland Taylor and Rankine had efforts blocked on the line.