EKINSUN is a custom parts manufacturer that machines rivet nuts to drawing when the standard series does not fit: a grip range for a thicker or thinner panel, a longer body, a hex or a flat, a fine or inch thread, a 316L body. The size ranges are those a distributor stocked in 2026.
A typical request: a 4.5 mm panel, where every M8 rivet nut on the market grips to 3 mm or from 5 mm, one nut is needed, not two ranges.
Grip is a range, not a number, and the ranges are stepped; a panel that lands between two steps is the first reason a rivet nut is made rather than bought.
Rivet nut types and size ranges
| Type | Head | Body | Size range | Materials | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat-head rivet nut | flat flange | round, smooth or knurled | M3–M12 | zinc steel (blue, yellow, black), 304 stainless, aluminium | general sheet from 0.5 mm; the default |
| Small countersunk rivet nut | reduced countersunk | round, knurled | M3–M12 | zinc steel, 304 | a near-flush face where a flat head would stand proud |
| Large countersunk rivet nut | 90° countersunk | round, knurled | M3–M12 | zinc steel, 304 | a countersunk hole; flush face |
| Half-hex rivet nut | flat | hex over half its length, round below | M4–M12 | zinc steel, 304 | high torque-out in a hex-punched hole; keeps a round hole option |
| Full-hex rivet nut | flat | hex full length | M4–M12 | zinc steel, 304 | highest torque-out; needs a hex hole |
| Lantern (slotted) rivet nut | flat | slotted body that folds into legs | M4–M8 | zinc steel, 304 | soft, thin or brittle materials: plastics, composites, thin aluminium |
| Closed-end rivet nut | flat or countersunk | sealed bottom | on request | steel, 304, aluminium | liquid or dust tight; the screw cannot exit |
| Petal (jack) nut | flat | four legs that splay | M3–M16 | zinc steel | Thin panels, plastics and hollow sections |
| Aluminium rivet nut | flat | round, knurled | M3–M12 | aluminium | aluminium panels, weight-critical parts, no galvanic pair |
Need rivet nuts in a size, thread or material no catalogue lists? EKINSUN is a custom parts manufacturer: we make rivet nuts to your drawing, sketch or sample, steel, 304 stainless steel or aluminium, from 1 piece, quoted in 12 hours and shipped duties paid. Standard sizes can often be supplied from stock; the more pieces, the lower the unit price. All custom fasteners
Choosing by sheet, hole and access
| Your sheet | Head | Body | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel or aluminium 0.5–3 mm, round hole, one-side access | flat | knurled round | the standard case; knurl gives torque-out in a round hole |
| The face must be flush, a panel that slides or seals | countersunk | knurled round | the head sits in the countersink |
| High torque from a screw that is tightened often | flat | half-hex or hex | the hex body cannot spin in a hex hole; a knurl eventually can |
| Plastic, GRP, honeycomb or thin sheet | flat | lantern or petal | the legs fold over a wide area instead of crushing the material |
| Panel thickness between two standard grip ranges | any | custom body length | the body is turned to bulge exactly behind your sheet |
| Outdoor or washdown, stainless panel | flat or countersunk | 304 or 316L body | match the panel; a zinc steel nut in a stainless panel is the corrosion pair that fails first |
Grip range, hole size and the numbers to send
Three numbers define a rivet nut: the thread, the hole it goes into, and the grip range. Grip is the span of sheet thickness a given body length will set correctly in; too thin and the bulge forms loose, too thick and the body cannot bulge at all. Standard rivet nuts are stepped in grip ranges of roughly 1.5 to 3 mm each. Hole is the body diameter plus a small clearance; the maker's table gives it per size and it should be drilled or punched to that number, not to the nearest drill. For a custom rivet nut, send:
- Thread and pitch (metric coarse, fine, UNC or UNF).
- Panel material and thickness, and whether there are two panels stacked.
- Hole diameter and shape (round, hex, countersunk) if already made.
- Head style and whether the face must be flush.
- Setting tool: hand, pneumatic, or spin-pull, so the body wall is cut for it.
- Quantity and finish.
Read the pitch before you order the rivet nut. Lay a steel rule along ten thread crests and divide by ten: 10 mm over ten pitches is a 1 mm pitch (M6 coarse), 12.5 mm is M8 coarse, 15 mm is M10 coarse, 17.5 mm is M12 coarse. A reading that is not a round number of millimetres is an inch thread, and a reading that is shorter than the coarse pitch for that diameter is a fine thread. If diameter, pitch and the size range in the table all agree, the part is a standard size: buy it off the shelf, or have it made to order from 1 piece. If any of the three falls outside the table, we make it to your reading. The full measuring routine, including the inch traps
Where the rivet nut catalogue stops
| What you need | In the catalogue? | What we make |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or countersunk rivet nut M3–M12 in zinc steel, standard grip range | Yes | Buy it from stock, or have it made to order from 1 piece. No one-off competes with a series rivet nut; check the grip range against your sheet first. Standard parts: ask us too, we may have them in stock. |
| The same in 304 stainless or aluminium | Yes | Standard in the same sizes: buy them off the shelf, or have them made to order from 1 piece. |
| A grip range between two standard steps, or a panel thicker than the largest step | No | Body turned to the exact length so the bulge forms behind your sheet; from 1 piece. |
| A rivet nut above M12 — M14, M16, 5/8 in | No | Turned from bar with the wall thickness matched to your setting tool. |
| A fine-pitch, left-hand or inch thread the series does not run | No | Tapped to your reading; the body stays a standard geometry. |
| A 316L / 1.4404 body for a marine or chemical panel | No | Machined from 316L bar. |
| A closed-end or sealed rivet nut in an odd size | No | Turned with a closed bottom; optional O-ring seat under the head. |
| A rivet nut with a flat, a cross-hole or an extended shoulder for a bracket | No | Milled or drilled on the turned body. |
Materials
| Material | Designation | Where it fits here |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon steel, zinc plated | low-carbon, blue / yellow / black passivation | the standard rivet nut for painted steel and aluminium panels |
| Stainless 304 | 1.4301 / A2 | standard M3–M12; outdoor and food equipment |
| Stainless 316L | 1.4404 / A4 | made to order for marine and chemical panels |
| Free-machining stainless | 303 / 1.4305 | custom turned bodies |
| Aluminium | 5056 / 6061 | standard aluminium rivet nuts M3–M12; custom bodies in 6061 |
| Aluminium 7075 | AlZn5.5MgCu | on request for a hard, light body; also the panel alloy where a steel rivet nut is the galvanic weak point |
| Brass | CW614N / C36000 | electrical and decorative panels; turned to order |
Related pages
- every fastener family by standard and size range, all families with standard and size range
- self-clinching nuts, when both sides are reachable and a press is available
- weld nuts, thick or coated sheet
- cage nuts, rack panels
- blind, solid and semi-tubular rivets, blind, solid and semi-tubular rivets
- threaded inserts for plastics, the plastic-housing equivalent
- progressive-die stampings, the bracket the rivet nut is set into
Frequently asked questions
None in function: nutsert is a trade name that became a generic word for a blind rivet nut. Both are threaded sleeves set from one side by pulling the thread until the body bulges behind the sheet.
Measure the total thickness the nut will clamp, including any second panel, paint or gasket, and choose the standard nut whose grip range spans it. If the thickness lands between two ranges, or above the largest, the body is turned to the length that bulges behind your sheet.
The body diameter plus a small clearance, which the maker's table gives per size and body style; a hex body needs a hex hole. Drill or punch to that number. A hole that is too large lets a knurled body spin; too small and the body will not enter without damage.
Yes. 316L bodies, sizes above M12, closed ends, flats and custom grip lengths are turned from bar with the wall thickness matched to the setting tool, from 1 piece.
EKINSUN is a custom parts manufacturer that machines rivet nuts to drawing in steel, 303 / 304 / 316L stainless, aluminium 6061 and brass, in metric, fine, UNC and UNF threads, from 1 piece, with a quote within 12 hours.
No list price: the price follows material, thread, body features and quantity. A steel rivet nut with a non-standard grip length in a batch of a few hundred sits near catalogue money; a single 316L closed-end nut with a flat is a turned part and is priced as one. The quote names the drivers.
Send the panel thickness and the hole
Thread and pitch, panel material and thickness, hole size and shape, head style, setting tool, quantity. A photo of the panel edge works. From 1 piece, quote within 12 hours.