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Guide · Sheet metal · Hand riveters, pop rivets, seamers and folding tools

What is the strongest pop rivet, and what does a hand rivet gun do? How a blind rivet sets, rivet sizes and grip range, aluminum vs steel vs stainless, hand vs lever vs pneumatic riveters, rivets vs screws vs welds, and setting a rivet without a gun

A pop rivet (blind rivet) is a hollow rivet body with a mandrel through it: the rivet is pushed through a drilled hole from one side, the rivet gun grips the mandrel and pulls, the mandrel’s head flares the far end of the body against the back of the work, and the mandrel snaps off at a notch, leaving a set rivet that was installed with access to one side only, which is the point. A hand rivet gun (hand riveter) is the plier-style tool that does the pulling; lever (long-arm) riveters multiply force for 3/16 and 1/4 inch rivets, and pneumatic riveters do hundreds an hour. Strength comes from material and diameter: a 1/8 inch aluminum rivet shears at about 200 lb, a steel one at about 400, a stainless one at about 500, and 3/16 inch rivets roughly double those; structural (closed-end and multi-grip) rivets are the strongest blind rivets. Rivets are the fastener for gutters, downspouts, flashing laps, duct and sheet-metal trim; screws hold where they must be removed and welds hold structure.

Bayshore Safety. Industrial safety, roofing tools and jobsite supplies since 2017. · Current as of November 2026 · the C&R product data on this site (PT-RIVOT pop rivet gun; hand seamers 3 in, 3 in offset and 6 in; folding tools 12, 18 and 24 in; locking sheet metal clamps 8 and 9 in; 1/8 in double-ended drill bit); the Industrial Fasteners Institute blind-rivet designations as printed on rivet packs (diameter in 32nds and grip range in 16ths: a 4-4 rivet is 1/8 in diameter with a 1/4 in maximum grip) and the drill sizes rivet packs list (#30 or 1/8 in for a 1/8 rivet, #11 or 5/32, #20 or 3/16)
Riveting and sheet-metal tools we stockAll roofing tools
C&R PT-RIVOT Pop Rivet GunC&R PT-RIVOT Pop Rivet GunThe product data lists the PT-RIVOT as a pop rivet gun
$15.52See the product

Why sheet-metal roofing work uses rivets. A gutter seam, a downspout strap, a drip-edge lap and a flashing joint are thin metal with no access to the back, and a blind rivet is the fastener that works from the front and does not back out the way a sheet-metal screw can. The cards below answer the questions as asked: what a hand riveter does, the types of rivet guns, whether a given rivet gun is good, how to use one, rivet sizes and the strongest rivet, whether a rivet is as strong as a weld and why riveting is not used in structures any more, plastic rivets, the pneumatic and cordless tools, setting a rivet without a gun, and opening a rivet. The seamers, folding tools and clamps that go with sheet-metal work are in the band below with their own cards.

Rivets and riveters, question by question

Rivet designations and drill sizes are the ones printed on rivet packs; tool data is from the product pages on this site.

What is a hand riveter used for, and what do you use a rivet gun for?Fastening two pieces of thin material together from one side: gutter sections and end caps, downspout joints and straps, drip edge and fascia laps, flashing and counterflashing, HVAC duct and plenum seams, sheet-metal boxes and covers, aluminum trailers and truck bodies, license plates, and repairs on anything that was riveted at the factory. The gun pulls the mandrel; the rivet does the rest. The 1/8 and 5/32 inch aluminum rivets that make up most of the work set with a plain hand gun like our PT-RIVOT; 3/16 inch steel and 1/4 inch rivets want a long-handle lever gun.
How do hand rivet guns work, and how do you use one?Drill a hole the size the rivet pack lists (1/8 inch or #30 for a 1/8 rivet, 5/32 or #11 for a 5/32, 3/16 or #20 for a 3/16; a 1/8 inch double-ended bit is the gutter crew’s bit), clamp the pieces (a locking sheet-metal clamp holds a lap flat), push the rivet body through from the front, slide the rivet mandrel into the gun’s nosepiece (the nosepiece must match the mandrel diameter; guns come with three or four), hold the gun square and tight against the rivet head, and squeeze the handles until the mandrel snaps, which may take two or three strokes on a hand gun. The spent mandrel drops out of the gun or is caught in a bottle on some tools. A rivet set crooked, or with the gun not pressed to the head, flares on the wrong side and is drilled out and redone.
What are the different types of rivet guns?Hand (plier) riveters: the standard tool, 1/8 to 3/16 inch rivets, two-handed squeeze. Lever (long-arm, heavy-duty) riveters: 18 to 24 inch handles for 3/16 and 1/4 inch and steel and stainless rivets. Lazy-tong (accordion) riveters: a scissor-linkage for one-handed setting of medium rivets. Pneumatic riveters: air-powered, one trigger pull per rivet, the production tool for duct shops, trailer builders and gutter installers. Cordless battery riveters: the pneumatic’s job without a hose, and some drill-attachment riveters do the same from a cordless drill. Rivet nut (nutsert) tools are a related tool that sets a threaded insert in thin metal. We stock the hand riveter; the pneumatic and cordless tools are rated by their own manufacturers.
What is the strongest type of pop rivet, and what are the sizes?By material, stainless steel body and mandrel, then steel, then aluminum, then copper; by type, structural blind rivets (closed-end for sealing, multi-grip for varying thickness, and the interlocking structural rivets used in trailers and signs) over standard open-end rivets. Sizes: the diameter in 32nds and the maximum grip in 16ths are the two numbers on the pack (a 4-4 rivet is 4/32 = 1/8 inch diameter with a 4/16 = 1/4 inch grip; a 6-6 is 3/16 inch with a 3/8 grip), and the grip range is the total thickness of the pieces being joined, which the rivet must cover or it will not clamp. Common sizes: 1/8 inch for gutters and trim, 5/32 for flashing and duct, 3/16 for trailers and heavy sheet, 1/4 for structural. Shear strengths printed by the rivet makers run about 200 lb (1/8 aluminum), 400 lb (1/8 steel), 500 lb (1/8 stainless), 500 to 1,000 lb at 3/16 and 1,000 to 1,700 lb at 1/4; the smallest rivets are 3/32 inch.
Is a rivet as strong as a weld, what is the difference between a rivet and a pop rivet, and why is riveting no longer used?No. A weld is a continuous fused joint as strong as the parent metal; a rivet is a point fastener that carries load in shear and bearing and nothing in tension to speak of, which is why a riveted sheet-metal joint is also sealed and a riveted structural joint uses many rivets. A solid rivet is a one-piece shank that is set by hammering or squeezing its tail with access to both sides (aircraft, boilers, old bridges); a pop (blind) rivet sets from one side with a mandrel. Riveting left steel structures (bridges, buildings, ships) between the 1940s and 1960s because welding and high-strength bolts are faster, stronger in tension and need fewer workers; blind rivets stayed and grew in sheet metal, where there is no back side to reach.
Can you use a metal rivet gun on plastic rivets, and what do you use instead of a rivet gun?Plastic (push-type) rivets for automotive trim are set by pushing a pin in by hand or with a plier-type plastic rivet tool; a metal rivet gun does not fit them. Without a gun: a pop rivet can be set by holding the body with a nut or a washer stack over the mandrel and pulling the mandrel with locking pliers while a second pair holds the rivet, which works once in an emergency and flares the rivet badly; a small bolt and nut, a sheet-metal screw, or a solid rivet peened with a hammer against a backing block are the real alternatives. A hand riveter costs little; our PT-RIVOT is one.
What tool opens a rivet, and how do you remove one?Drill it out: center-punch the rivet head, drill with a bit the size of the rivet shank (1/8 for a 1/8 rivet) just through the head until the head spins off, then punch the shank through. A rivet removal tool is a drill bit with a stop collar for exactly that. Grinding the head off works on flat work. The hole is reused for the next rivet or stepped up one size if it is wobbled.
What is a hand seamer, a folding tool and a sheet-metal clamp, and how do they go with riveting?A hand seamer (ours in 3 inch, 3 inch offset and 6 inch) is a wide-jaw plier that bends a straight hem or flange in sheet metal, 1/4 to 1-1/2 inch deep, for drip-edge returns, gutter end caps and flashing hems; the offset version keeps knuckles clear. A folding tool (12, 18 and 24 inch) is a slotted bar that makes a long straight bend in a sheet by hand, for hems, drip edges and standing-seam pan edges. A locking sheet-metal clamp (8 and 9 inch) is a locking plier with wide flat jaws that holds a lap flat and aligned while it is drilled and riveted, and holds a hem closed while it is seamed. The snips guide linked below covers cutting; the Torx and nut setter guide covers the screws that go beside rivets.

Rivets in plain words

  • A blind (pop) rivet sets from one side: push it through the hole, the gun pulls the mandrel, the far end flares, the mandrel snaps.
  • Rivet size: diameter in 32nds and grip in 16ths (4-4 is 1/8 inch with a 1/4 inch grip); drill the hole the size on the pack.
  • Strongest: stainless, then steel, then aluminum; structural rivets over standard; bigger diameter over smaller.
  • Hand gun for 1/8 and 5/32; lever gun for 3/16 and 1/4; pneumatic or cordless for production.
  • A rivet is not a weld: it carries shear, not tension; use enough of them.
  • Plastic trim rivets have their own tool; a metal gun does not fit.
  • Remove a rivet by drilling the head off with a bit the shank size.
  • Seamers bend hems, folding tools make long bends, locking clamps hold the lap while you drill and rivet.

Questions people ask

Are the import rivet guns any good?

We do not rate other sellers’ tools; a hand riveter is a simple tool and ours sets 1/8 to 3/16 inch rivets with the nosepiece that matches the mandrel.

What is the strongest type of pop rivet?

Stainless steel structural rivets at the largest diameter the work allows; a 1/4 inch structural rivet carries 1,000 to 1,700 lb in shear.

Why is riveting no longer used?

In steel structures, welding and high-strength bolts replaced it after the 1940s; blind rivets remain the standard fastener in sheet metal.

What are the different types of rivet guns?

Hand plier, lever long-arm, lazy-tong, pneumatic and cordless riveters, plus rivet nut tools for threaded inserts.

Is a rivet as strong as a weld?

No; a weld is a continuous fused joint and a rivet is a point fastener in shear.

How do hand rivet guns work?

The nosepiece grips the mandrel and the handles pull it until the rivet body flares behind the work and the mandrel snaps.

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

A solid rivet needs both sides to set; a pop (blind) rivet sets from one side with a pulled mandrel.

Can you use a metal rivet gun on plastic rivets?

No; plastic push rivets are set by hand or with a plastic rivet plier.

Can you use a rivet gun on a gutter?

Yes; 1/8 inch aluminum rivets are the gutter and downspout fastener.

What is a hand riveter used for?

Fastening gutters, downspouts, flashing laps, duct, trim and sheet-metal repairs from one side.

What are the smallest rivets you can get?

3/32 inch diameter in standard blind rivets; micro rivets smaller for electronics.

What can I use instead of a rivet gun?

A bolt and nut, a sheet-metal screw, or a solid rivet peened against a backing block; the locking-pliers trick sets one rivet badly.

How do you install a pop rivet without a tool?

Hold the body with a nut stack over the mandrel and pull the mandrel with locking pliers; it works once and flares poorly.

What tool can I use to open rivets?

A drill bit the size of the shank through the head, or a rivet removal bit with a stop collar.

What is a pneumatic rivet gun for?

Setting one rivet per trigger pull from shop air, hundreds an hour, in duct, trailer and gutter production.

What does a pneumatic rivet gun do?

An air cylinder pulls the mandrel instead of your hands; the rivet sets the same way.

Related guides

Tin snips vs aviation snipsThe handle colors and what they cutTorx bits, nut setters and bit holdersThe common sizes and what each doesDrill bit sizesTap drills, HSS vs cobalt, drilling metal and concreteHex keys, wire brushes and locking pliersSizes, bristles and clampsOSHA safety glasses requirementsWhat 1910.133 says

The ratings, test results and standards shown here are the manufacturers' published values, reproduced as published. Nothing on this page is a recommendation by Bayshore Safety that any product is suitable for a particular task, hazard or workplace. Selecting safety products and protective equipment is the responsibility of the end user and the employer, based on their own hazard assessment and the regulations that apply to their work. Confirm every value on the manufacturer's own documentation before use.

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