Aerospace Rivets: Solid and Blind Rivet Specs and Buying

Updated October 12, 2026

Rivet types and where they go

Rivets split into solid rivets, which need access to both sides of the joint, and blind rivets, which are installed from one side. The FAA Airframe handbook describes the solid shank rivet as the most common fastener in aircraft structure, cheap, permanent and well suited to automated installation, and it notes that blind rivets in airframe repair must be specifically authorized by the airframe manufacturer or approved by the FAA.

The universal head has a head diameter about twice the shank diameter and a head height about 42.5 percent of the shank, per the FAA handbook, and it replaced the older round and brazier heads. The 100 degree countersunk head became the standard flush head because it balances tension and shear strength against flushness. Typical structural sizes run from 3/32 inch to 3/8 inch; the handbook says rivets smaller than 3/32 inch are not used on stressed structure.

The specifications that govern rivets

Most MS rivet standards were cancelled in the late 1990s and replaced by NASM documents published by the Aerospace Industries Association, and the part numbers stayed the same. That is why an MS20470AD4-6 is still a normal catalog item today. Status below is as listed on EverySpec and standards distributors as of October 2026; confirm the current revision before you put it on a contract.

NAS1097 is a separate AIA standard. A Boeing Distribution listing describes NAS1097 rivets as having an undersized oval countersunk head with a 99.5 to 100.5 degree angle, so the hole prep differs from a NASM20426 hole of the same diameter. Do not swap one for the other without engineering approval.

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How a solid rivet part number is built

A solid rivet number reads standard, alloy code, diameter in thirty-seconds of an inch, then length in sixteenths of an inch. The FAA Airframe handbook decodes MS20426AD5-8 exactly this way.

Boeing Distribution's listing for MS20470AD4-6 confirms 2117-T4 aluminum and gives the length as 0.365 to 0.385 inch, which matches a 3/8 inch nominal. Length is chosen from grip: the handbook sets total length as the grip (combined sheet thickness) plus 1.5 times the shank diameter to form the shop head.

Alloy codes and head markings

Head markings let receiving and the mechanic confirm the alloy without a cert. These come from Figure 4-77 of the FAA Airframe handbook.

The handbook warns not to replace a 2024-T4 rivet with a 2117-T4 or 2017-T4 rivet unless the next larger size is used. Diameter and alloy are both strength decisions, not interchangeable details.

Icebox rivets, heat treat condition and materials

D and DD rivets are too hard to drive as received. The FAA glossary describes the process: they are solution heat treated, quenched in cold water, and are soft immediately afterward, but harden within a few hours at room temperature. Holding them in a subfreezing icebox delays that hardening for several days. The handbook adds that most DD rivets have been replaced by E rivets in 7050, which can be installed as received, so ask whether the drawing really needs icebox stock before you plan cold storage and a heat treat step.

Material trade-offs for buyers:

• 2117 (AD) needs no heat treatment and is fairly corrosion resistant with most aluminum alloys, which is why it dominates repair work.
• 2024 and 2017 give more shear strength but bring the icebox logistics and an age limit you have to control on the floor.
• 5056 (B) is used where rivets contact magnesium, because the handbook rates 5056 as resistant to the common forms of corrosion in that pairing.
• Titanium columbium is covered by NASM20470 and NASM20426 for higher temperature or titanium structure.
• Monel and steel rivets exist for special cases; the handbook lists nickel-copper and steel among rivet materials.
• Blind rivet sleeves and stems. For CherryMAX, the handbook lists 5056 aluminum, Monel and INCO 600 sleeves with alloy steel, CRES and INCO X-750 stems, and an ultimate shear range of 50 to 75 ksi depending on the combination.

Rivet finish is usually set by the standard or the dash code, but structure sealing and wet installation are drawing callouts. See aluminum alloys for how the sheet alloy and temper affect corrosion and surface finishing for chem film and primer under fastener heads.

Blind rivets and grip length coding

Blind rivet numbers code diameter and grip, and the grip code is the thing that goes wrong. A mechanically locked blind rivet is designed for a grip range; too short and it will not form a full blind head, too long and the lock collar sits wrong. The FAA handbook says CherryMAX bulbed rivets come in universal, 100 degree countersunk and 100 degree reduced shear heads, with lengths in 1/16 inch increments, and that the rivet length must be selected from the grip of the material being joined. Each CherryMAX installation accommodates at least 1/16 inch of variation in structure thickness.

The handbook also lists CherryMAX in four nominal diameters, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16 and 1/4 inch, plus oversizes, with universal, 100 degree flush, 120 degree flush and NAS1097 flush heads. The NAS1919 and NAS1921 standards carry their own diameter, grip and material letters; read them from the standard sheet rather than assuming they match a manufacturer's catalog code. The two are not interchangeable even when the diameters match, and the handbook notes that tooling between makers is often not interchangeable either.

Do not file the retained stem smooth on a CherryMAX installation; the handbook warns this weakens the lock ring and can let the stem fall out.

Installation and inspection points that affect buying

Installation drives what you order: diameter from sheet thickness, length from grip, head from the surface. The FAA handbook gives the general rules used when no structural repair manual applies:

• Rivet diameter about three times the thickness of the thicker sheet, rounded up to the next size.
• Edge distance not less than 2 diameters for protruding heads and 2.5 for countersunk heads; minimum pitch 3 diameters and row spacing at least 2.5 diameters for new sections.
• The shop head on A, AD, B and DD rivets has a preferred diameter of 1.5 times the shank and a height of 0.5 times the shank, with minimums of 1.25 and 0.33.
• Inspect both heads and the surrounding skin. Common defects are cut heads, excessively flat or cracked heads, sheet separation, sloping heads and buckled shanks, each fixed by replacing the rivet.

Replacement after a bad drive often means the next size up, typically 1/32 inch larger, so order a few oversize rivets with the kit when the job is a repair. See inspection and metrology for how dimensional checks are recorded.

What to put on the PO

• Full part number with the standard and revision, for example NASM20470AD4-6, or the NAS or manufacturer number for blind rivets with the exact grip code.
• Manufacturer and lot traceability. Ask for the manufacturer's name and lot on the cert and on the package label.
• Certificate of conformance stating conformance to the standard and to NASM5674 or NAS1900 as applicable. See certificates of conformance.
• Condition for icebox rivets. State whether you want D or DD rivets as received (T4) for in-house heat treat, or whether E rivets are an approved alternate.
• DFARS specialty metals where a defense contract carries 252.225-7009 and the rivets are titanium, Monel or steel. Aluminum is not a specialty metal. See DFARS specialty metals.
• Packaging. Rivets of different alloys look the same apart from the head mark; require one part number per sealed and labeled bag.
• Substitutions not allowed without written approval, including NAS1097 for NASM20426 and any blind rivet family for another.

Counterfeit and quality risks, and how to receive rivets

The main rivet risks are mixed alloys, wrong grip on blind rivets, and paperwork that does not trace to a manufacturer. AS6174 covers counterfeit materiel of any type, and the defense of record is a manufacturer or authorized distributor cert tied to a lot.

• Check the head mark against the alloy code on every bag. A dimple means AD, a raised dot D, two raised bars DD, a raised cross B, a raised ring E.
• Measure diameter and length against the standard's limits on a sample, for example the 0.365 to 0.385 inch length band published for MS20470AD4-6.
• Check grip codes on blind rivets against the drawing, not just diameter.
• Reject loose or rebagged product with no lot identity.
• Watch icebox handling. Heat treated D and DD rivets that have warmed are not visibly different; record time out of the freezer.

For the full receiving sequence see receiving inspection, and for suspect part handling see counterfeit parts avoidance.

How we source rivets

We do not hold rivet stock, publish prices or represent any manufacturer. When you send a rivet requirement, we buy through authorized and franchised distributors or the manufacturer, flow your standard, revision and cert requirements to that source, and check the cert, lot and head markings before the parts ship to you. Rivets often travel with other work: we can put them on the same PO as machined or sheet metal parts, or kit them by assembly with the bolts and screws, collars and lockbolts and washers the same job needs. For discontinued blind rivet families and odd sizes, our obsolete parts service applies counterfeit-avoidance controls. Related hardware: threaded inserts, pins, and panel fasteners and safety wire. Back to the fasteners hub.

Get rivets sourced with traceable paperwork

Send the part numbers, quantities, grip codes and any approved alternates through a hardware quote request. A person replies within one business day with one quote and one point of contact, and every order ships with a certificate of conformance. If the rivets support a controlled program, read how we handle controlled programs first.

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Part, quantity and date are enough to start. Drawings and the mutual NDA follow by reply, and controlled programs never send technical data through this site.

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• How to Buy Obsolete Parts Without Buying Counterfeits

Sources

• FAA-H-8083-31A Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook, Airframe Volume 1, Chapter 4 rivets
• FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook, Airframe Volume 2, glossary entry for icebox rivet
• EverySpec, MS20470H superseded by NASM20470
• EverySpec, MS20426L superseded by NASM20426
• EverySpec, NASM20426 adoption notice
• EverySpec, MIL-R-5674F Notice 3, superseded by NASM5674
• Standards distributor listing, NASM5674:2015
• Standards distributor listing, NAS1921:2012
• GlobalSpec, NAS1900 blind rivet procurement specification
• Boeing Distribution, MS20470AD4-6 listing
• Boeing Distribution, NAS1097AD5-6 listing
• SAE AS6174, Counterfeit Materiel