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Rivets
How to Pick the Right Fastener for Metal Work
Building MaterialsA rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener that joins two or more materials, and its single biggest advantage is that it sets a rivet into a hole drilled through two or more materials, creating a permanent mechanical fastening — the rivet body fills the hole, and the formed back-side bulge clamps the materials together. Once set, a rivet cannot be backed out — removal means drilling the head off. That one-side-access trait is why rivets dominate sheet metal trade work in the first place.
Choosing right is a two-part decision. Match the rivet’s diameter, grip range, and metal to the job. Then match the tool’s pull force to that rivet. Get either one wrong and the joint fails — loose, leaking, or pulled clean through.
The most common rivet a contractor or serious DIYer reaches for is the blind, or pop, rivet. Blind rivets, often referred to by the brand name POP rivets, hold two materials together with a clamping force. They are comprised of two pieces: the body and the mandrel. The mandrel goes through the inside of the body and gets pulled during installation. As the mandrel is pulled through the body, it deforms the back of the body. Once the deformed portion grips against the back of the installation material the mandrel snaps, leaving a clean finished application.
Western Building Center stocks blind rivets in steel and aluminum across the sizes most metal work calls for — 1/8-inch and 3/16-inch diameters in 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2-inch grip lengths, plus a 120-piece aluminum assortment for the truck box.
Rivet Types and Where They Earn Their Keep
Most workshop riveting is blind rivets, but the family runs deeper. Knowing which type fits the job comes before any tool decision.
| Rivet type | What it does | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Blind / pop | Mandrel pulls, body expands behind the work, mandrel snaps off | Sheet metal, ducting, signs — the everyday default |
| Structural blind | High-load, limited-access applications, providing exceptional strength and resistance to corrosion and tampering | Heavy fabrication, trailer chassis |
| Closed-end | Cup-shaped design that creates a tight seal, preventing entry of liquids or air — high shear and tensile strength | Watertight or sealed assemblies |
| Multi-grip | Wide grip range to accommodate various hole sizes — ideal for oversized, irregular, or misaligned openings | Mixed thicknesses on one tool |
| Solid | The oldest form, used on ships and steel structures — placed into a pre-drilled hole, then a hammer or rivet gun permanently deforms the end | Max strength, needs two-side access |
| Tubular / semi-tubular | Easier to install than solid rivets because less force is required — only the thin walls of the hole flare outward | HVAC ducting, low-stress work |
| Drive | Short mandrel, installed by striking with a hammer — fast installation for materials that don’t require access to both sides | Light-duty, no special tool |
Typical jobs run the gamut: sheet metal fabrication (ducting, roof flashings, gutters, downpipes), trailer and ute body building, signs and shopfitting, electrical enclosures, and HVAC duct lap joints. In Montana, that flashing and gutter work matters — exterior joints take wet, freeze-thaw, and snow load year after year.
Sizing: Diameter, Grip Range, and Hole
Mis-sizing is the number one cause of a bad joint. Two dimensions drive it. Blind rivets are typically measured by body diameter and grip range. The grip range refers to the total thickness of the materials being fastened. To ensure a secure hold, the grip range should always be less than the length of the rivet body. That clearance is what lets the back-side head form. Sufficient rivet length is necessary for proper formation of the secondary head on the blind side of the assembly.
The numbering is simple once you know the code. Rivet diameter is in 32nds of an inch (6/32 = 3/16), and grip range is in 16ths of an inch (4/16 = 1/4). So a “44” rivet is 1/8-inch diameter with a 1/4-inch grip.
The SAE J-1200 data ties each rivet number to a grip range and the right drill. A few common ones:
| Rivet no. | Diameter | Grip range | Hole size | Drill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 1/8” | .188–.250” | .129–.133” | #30 |
| 42 | 1/8” | .063–.125” | .129–.133” | #30 |
| 64 | 3/16” | .188–.250” | .192–.196” | #11 |
Common diameters run 2.4mm (3/32″), 3.2mm (1/8″), 4.0mm (5/32″), 4.8mm (3/16″), and 6.4mm (1/4″). WBC’s stock covers the 1/8-inch and 3/16-inch range that handles most flashing, gutter, and panel jobs.
Material: Strength and Corrosion
Material drives both holding power and how the joint survives weather. For exposed Montana work, this is where joints live or die.
Aluminum rivets are the most common. They’re lightweight and have good corrosion and weathering resistance. They can be easily deformed, so aluminum blind rivets can be installed with a hand-operated rivet tool. That’s the go-to for gutters, downpipes, and flashing.
Stainless steel steps up the weather resistance. Stainless steel rivets have excellent corrosion and weathering resistance. However, due to their hardness, they’re difficult to install with hand-operated rivet tools. Pneumatic rivet guns are recommended for installing blind stainless steel rivets.
Steel is strong but needs help outdoors. Steel is strong and durable, but it offers less corrosion resistance than stainless steel. Applying protective finishes or coatings can improve its corrosion resistance.
The rule that saves joints on exterior work: match the metals. Some materials can create a galvanic corrosion cell, so rivet materials must be chosen carefully to ensure compatibility with the material being fastened. Pair an aluminum rivet with an aluminum panel. Under Montana’s repeated moisture and freeze-thaw cycling, a mismatched metal pair corrodes faster than either would alone.
Strength scales with diameter and material. A 4.8mm (3/16”) aluminum/steel blind rivet carries roughly 1,000–1,400N in single shear, while a steel/steel rivet of the same size runs 1,800–2,450N.
Matching the Tool to the Rivet
Buyers routinely under-buy here. The rivet picks the tool, not the other way around.
Hand (short-arm) riveter. The shop entry point. An excellent choice for the occasional user — if your project has just a few rivets, it’ll do the trick. The biggest con is the squeeze and the time it takes. Used repeatedly, it can be very stressful on the hands, wrists and forearms, making it less than ideal for projects requiring many rivets. Capacity tops out where standard short-arm hand riveters set rivets up to 4.8mm diameter in aluminum and 4mm in steel.
Long-arm / lever. When force matters. Long-arm hand riveters have extended handles that give a 3–4× mechanical advantage over short-arm tools. The same arm motion pulls a much harder mandrel break. Long-arm is the standard for the largest blind rivets (1/4”, 6.4mm) and for steel and stainless rivets where pull force is high. That’s the no-compressor answer for big or hard rivets.
Pneumatic. The production jump. Pneumatic blind rivet guns use 90 psi shop air to do the mandrel pull automatically — one trigger pull, two seconds per rivet. Air rivet guns shine in production sheet metal, trailer building, signs, and any workshop doing 100+ rivets per session. Air demand stays modest: 1.5–4 CFM at 90 psi for most tools, which a 30L+ workshop compressor handles comfortably.
Cordless / battery. Best for the field. Battery powered riveters are great for the job site — they offer the versatility of not having a cord and the ease of simply pushing a button to install the rivet. For Montana job sites and remote builds where dragging a compressor or finding power isn’t practical, that mobility wins.
Whatever the tool, one detail is non-negotiable: choose the appropriate sized nose piece. Rivet guns normally come with several options to fit a range of blind rivets. The nose-piece must match the rivet diameter or it won’t grip the mandrel clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the rivet number mean? The first digit is diameter in 32nds of an inch; the second is grip range in 16ths. A 6/32 diameter equals 3/16”, and a 4/16 grip equals 1/4”. So a “64” is a 3/16-inch rivet with a 1/4-inch grip.
Which rivet material for outdoor gutters and flashing? Aluminum is the common pick for exterior sheet metal — lightweight with good corrosion and weathering resistance. Stainless raises the bar further, with excellent corrosion and weathering resistance. Match the rivet metal to the panel metal to avoid galvanic corrosion.
Can I set stainless rivets with a hand tool? It’s a fight. Due to their hardness, stainless rivets are difficult to install with hand-operated rivet tools. Pneumatic rivet guns are recommended for installing blind stainless steel rivets. A long-arm lever tool is the manual alternative for harder rivets.
How do I size the drill bit? Use the recommended hole size from the SAE J-1200 data for that rivet number. A 1/8-inch (44) rivet calls for a .129–.133” hole, which is a #30 drill. Out-of-round holes hurt joint reliability, so drill clean.
When is a cordless tool worth it over hand or pneumatic? When you’re away from shop air. Air-powered tools boast performance at the cost of being attached to a compressor. Cordless gives powered setting with no hose and no power line — the right call for field and remote work.
What’s the watertight option? Closed-end rivets. Their cup-shaped design creates a tight seal preventing entry of liquids or air — ideal for watertight applications, with high shear and tensile strength.