Rivet Products

What are rivet products? Rivet products are the fasteners, tools, and accessories used to make permanent joints from one side of a workpiece. The family covers four things: blind rivets that clamp two panels together, rivet nuts that install a threaded insert into thin material, the setting tools that install each type, and backup washers that spread load in soft or thin stock. What ties them together is single sided access. Every one of them installs without reaching behind the joint, which is why they dominate sheet metal, panel, and tube work. AlbanyCountyFasteners.com stocks all four in aluminum, steel, stainless steel, and copper.

Rivet Products

Blind Rivets

Tubular rivets set from one side with a rivet tool, forming a second head on the back where you can't reach, for quick permanent fastening.

Rivet Washers

Washers placed under a rivet on the blind side to spread load and prevent pull-through in soft or thin material.

Rivet Nuts

Internally threaded inserts installed from one side of the material to create a strong machine thread in sheet metal, tube, and panels where you can't reach the back.

Rivet Tools

Hand, pneumatic, and pneudraulic tools that pull the mandrel to set blind rivets and rivet nuts.

Rivets vs rivet nuts: which do I need?

It depends on whether anything has to attach later. A blind rivet clamps two pieces of material permanently, and that is the end of the job. A rivet nut does something different: it installs into a single panel and leaves behind a machine thread, so you can bolt something to thin sheet that could never hold a tapped thread on its own. Think of a blind rivet as replacing a bolt and nut, and a rivet nut as replacing a tapped hole or a weld nut. If you need to bolt an accessory to a tube, a panel, or a chassis rail, you want a rivet nut. If you are joining two panels for good, you want a blind rivet.

What we stock

Blind rivets, in open end, closed end, large flange, countersunk, multi-grip, colored, tri-fold, and structural styles for permanent panel joints
Rivet nuts, threaded inserts in 18-8 stainless and aluminum, thinwall and thickwall, in inch and metric threads
Rivet tools, hand riveters, lever tools, pneumatic guns, and cordless kits for blind rivets, plus dedicated rivet nut tools
Rivet washers, backup washers in aluminum, 304 stainless, and zinc plated steel that prevent pull-through in soft material

Choosing tools for the job

Blind rivets and rivet nuts use different setting tools, and they are not interchangeable
Hand riveters handle small diameter blind rivets in aluminum and light steel
Lever and pneumatic tools become worthwhile above about 3/16 inch, and for steel or stainless bodies
Rivet nut tools thread onto the insert and pull it, so the mandrel must match the thread size
Ratcheting and pneudraulic rivet nut tools reduce effort on production runs and larger threads

Common applications

Sheet metal fabrication, ductwork, and HVAC assemblies
Trailer bodies, truck panels, and transportation equipment
Metal building panels, roofing, siding, and flashing
Chassis and tube frames, where rivet nuts add threads to closed sections
Boat and marine hardware, where material pairing drives corrosion life
Signage, display fixtures, appliance, and general product assembly

Most jobs start with blind rivets and a compatible setter from our rivet tools range. If you need a threaded fastening point in thin material instead of a clamped joint, look at rivet nuts. For soft or thin stock, add rivet washers behind the joint.

Related Categories

Rivet Product FAQs

What is the difference between a rivet and a pop rivet?

Pop rivet is a brand name that became the generic term. POP was the original trade name for the blind rivet system, and the phrase stuck. When someone says pop rivet they mean a blind rivet, the kind with a mandrel you set with a hand riveter.

What is a rivet nut used for?

Creating a strong machine thread in material too thin to tap. It installs like a blind rivet, from one side, but instead of clamping two panels it leaves a threaded insert in a single panel. That gives you a reusable bolt point in sheet metal, tubing, or a chassis rail where a tapped hole would strip out.

Do rivets and rivet nuts use the same tool?

No. A blind rivet tool grips the mandrel and pulls it. A rivet nut tool threads onto the insert, then pulls while holding the head, so it needs a mandrel matched to the thread size. Some kits include multiple mandrels to cover a range of threads.

Which rivet material should I choose?

Match the fastener to what you are joining wherever possible. Aluminum for aluminum, steel for steel, stainless for stainless or for outdoor exposure. Mixing metals with moisture present invites galvanic corrosion, where the less noble metal corrodes first and the joint loosens.

Can rivets be removed?

Only by drilling. Center punch the head, drill with a bit matched to the rivet diameter, and the head separates so the body can be pushed through. If the assembly needs regular service, use a threaded fastener or a rivet nut instead.

When do I need a rivet washer?

When the back material is soft, thin, or oversized at the hole. A backup washer spreads the clamping load over a wider area so the formed rivet head cannot pull through plastic, fiberglass, thin sheet, or wood. Remember to count the washer thickness in your grip range.