A rivet is the fastener that is destroyed to be removed, which is why it is chosen for joints nobody should open. Blind rivets are set from one side with a mandrel; solid rivets are hammered or pressed from both; semi-tubular rivets roll over with a fraction of the force. The catalogue holds the ISO sizes in three or four alloys; the rivet with a grip between the steps, a head of another shape, or an alloy the box does not carry is the one that gets made.
EKINSUN LTD is a custom parts manufacturer that makes rivets to drawing: solid and semi-tubular rivets turned in 316L, brass, copper, titanium or Monel in any length, blind rivets with a grip range or head the series skips, nameplate and eyelet rivets in odd sizes. The type table below is read from a 2026 catalogue; the grip and hole table explains what sets a blind rivet correctly; the negative-space table marks the border.
"Solid rivets 5 mm, 316 stainless, 38 mm long, round head, for a stainless gate. Stock stops at 25 mm and in 304."
Length and alloy: the two reasons a solid rivet is turned rather than bought.
| Type | Standard | Stock range | Stock materials | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blind rivet, open end, dome head | ISO 15977 (Al / St), 15979 (St / St), 15981 (Al / Al), 15983 (A2 / A2) | 2.4–6.4 mm; 304 M3–M6.4 | aluminium, steel, 304 stainless; black aluminium | the standard pop rivet |
| Blind rivet, open end, countersunk | ISO 15978, 15980, 15982, 15984 | 3.2–5 mm | aluminium, steel, 304 | flush face |
| Blind rivet, half-steel | maker series | M3–M6.4 dome; M3–M5 countersunk | steel body, steel mandrel | stronger than aluminium |
| Blind rivet, sealed (closed end) | maker series | M3.2–M6.4 | 304; aluminium | liquid and dust tight; no mandrel hole |
| Blind rivet, peel and multi-grip | maker series | on request | aluminium | soft and brittle materials; wide grip |
| Blind rivet, large flange | maker series | on request | aluminium; 304 | load spreading on thin sheet |
| Solid rivet, round head | DIN 660 | Ø1.5–Ø16 (304 Ø2–Ø16; copper Ø1.5–Ø8; aluminium Ø2–Ø8) | steel, 304, copper, brass, aluminium | hammered or pressed |
| Solid rivet, countersunk | DIN 661 | Ø2–Ø8 | 304, copper, aluminium | flush face |
| Solid rivet, flat head | DIN 674 form | M2–M8 | 304, copper, aluminium | — |
| Semi-tubular rivet | DIN 7338 | M2–M8 (flat and dome heads) | 304; steel; copper; brass | low setting force; leather, brake linings, hinges |
| Tubular rivet / eyelet | DIN 7340 form | M0.9–M6 | brass; copper | eyelets and grommets |
| Nameplate (drive) rivet | maker series | Ø1.6–Ø5 | 304, aluminium, copper | knurled shank; hammered into a drilled hole |
| Rivet nut | maker series | M3–M12 | steel, 304, aluminium | see rivet nuts |
| Item | Rule | What goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Grip range | total thickness of the sheets must fall inside the rivet's grip range; ranges are stepped in stock | too short: the mandrel breaks before the tail forms; too long: the tail forms loose and the joint rattles |
| Hole diameter | rivet diameter plus about 0.1 mm (a 4.0 rivet in a 4.1 hole); drilled, not punched ragged | too large: the tail pulls through; too small: the body will not enter |
| Body and mandrel materials | aluminium / steel is general purpose; steel / steel and 304 / 304 for strength and corrosion; match the sheet to avoid a galvanic pair | an aluminium rivet in a stainless panel corrodes first |
| Head | dome for general use; countersunk for a flush face; large flange for thin or soft sheet | — |
| Sealed or open | open-end rivets leave a mandrel hole; sealed rivets do not | an open rivet on a tank or a housing leaks |
| Tool | hand, lever or pneumatic; nose piece matched to the mandrel | — |
Solid rivets have no grip range; the length is the sheet stack plus enough shank to form the second head, and the standards give that allowance per diameter. A solid rivet that is too long buckles; too short and the head is thin. This is why solid rivets are ordered by exact length and why a stainless gate with 38 mm of stack needs a rivet nobody stocks.
| What you need | In the catalogue? | What we make |
|---|---|---|
| Blind rivet 2.4–6.4 mm in aluminium, steel or 304, dome or countersunk, stock grip | Yes | Buy it from stock. No one-off competes with a formed blind rivet. |
| Solid rivet DIN 660 / 661 in the stock diameters and lengths, semi-tubular DIN 7338 2–8 mm | Yes | Stocked; buy it. |
| A solid or semi-tubular rivet longer than stock, or in a diameter between sizes | No | Turned to length and diameter, from 1 piece. |
| A solid rivet in 316L, brass, copper above 8 mm, titanium or Monel | No | Turned in the alloy named. |
| A rivet head of your own shape — oval, pan, a large flat, a marked head | No | Turned or cold-formed to drawing. |
| A blind rivet with a grip range or a head the series skips, or in 316L | No | Sourced or made per batch; we say which. |
| A nameplate or eyelet rivet in an odd size or alloy | No | Turned or formed to drawing. |
| A structural aluminium 6061 or 7075 rivet | Partly | Solid aluminium rivets are stocked in the common sizes in soft alloy; 6061 and 7075 rivets are turned on request for aircraft-style and light structural work, and we say which temper. |
| Material | Designation | Where it fits here |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium | soft alloy for stock rivets; 6061 and 7075 to order | stock blind and solid rivets; light structures |
| Aluminium 6061 | AlMg1SiCu | turned solid rivets for light structural joints |
| Aluminium 7075 | AlZn5.5MgCu | turned high-strength light rivets, on request |
| Carbon steel | low-carbon, zinc plated | stock steel blind and solid rivets |
| Stainless 304 | 1.4301 / A2 | stock stainless blind, solid and semi-tubular rivets |
| Stainless 316L | 1.4404 / A4 | turned rivets for marine and chemical joints |
| Copper, brass | Cu-ETP, CW614N / CuZn37 | stock copper and brass solid, tubular and eyelet rivets; electrical |
| Titanium, Monel | Grade 2; NiCu30Fe | turned rivets for weight-critical and seawater joints |
A blind rivet is set from one side: a tool pulls the mandrel, the body expands behind the sheet and the mandrel snaps. A solid rivet is a plain pin whose second head is formed by hammering or pressing from the far side, so both sides must be reachable; it is stronger and has no mandrel hole.
About 4.1 mm: the rivet diameter plus roughly 0.1 mm, drilled cleanly. The same rule holds for the other sizes; the maker's table gives the exact hole per rivet.
Measure the total thickness of the sheets to be joined, including any paint or gasket, and pick the rivet whose grip range spans it. Stock grip ranges are stepped; a stack that lands between two ranges needs a multi-grip rivet or a rivet made for it.
Yes. Solid and semi-tubular rivets are turned to any length and diameter in 304, 316L, copper, brass, aluminium 6061 / 7075, titanium or Monel, with round, countersunk, flat or special heads, from 1 piece.
EKINSUN LTD is a custom parts manufacturer that turns and forms solid, semi-tubular, nameplate and eyelet rivets, and sources or makes blind rivets outside the stock series, in steel, stainless, copper, brass, aluminium and titanium, from 1 piece, with a quote within 12 hours.
No list price; the drivers are the alloy, the length, the head form and quantity. A batch of 316L solid rivets turned to 38 mm is a short lathe job; a production run of a special head is a cold-heading tool plus parts. The quote separates the two.
Rivet type, diameter, total sheet thickness or exact length, hole size, head, material, quantity. A photo of the joint edge with a rule works. From 1 piece, quote within 12 hours.
Rivets turned or formed to length, head, grip and alloy — from 1 piece, quote in 12 hours.