Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to choose pop rivets: hole, head and metal first

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are about to buy pop rivets because a gutter, a panel or a thin sheet needs a fastener you can set from one side. The packet leads with a piece count and a photograph. Choose a diameter and a hole, then a head, then a metal, then a mixed box or one size. The [blind rivets comparison](/hub/screws-and-accessories/blind-rivets) is the set of amazon.co.uk cards this guide uses. Grip has its own page. This page owns the order of the other decisions. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to buy pop rivets because a gutter, a panel or a thin sheet needs a fastener you can set from one side. The packet leads with a piece count and a photograph.

Our top picks

INCLY INCLY 1000-piece countersunk kit

Best overall

INCLY INCLY 1000-piece countersunk kit
8.2/10about £21.99
View offer
KLRS KLRStec 500-piece dome assortment

Rank 2

KLRS KLRStec 500-piece dome assortment
9.0/10about £19.99
View offer
ANVINKU ANVINKU 260-piece assortment

Best value

ANVINKU ANVINKU 260-piece assortment
8.0/10about £8.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with diameter and the hole
  2. 2.Then pick the head
  3. 3.Aluminium and steel is the normal metal
  4. 4.Assortment or one size

Start with diameter and the hole

Ordinary open pop rivets in a hand-gun box are usually 2.4 mm, 3.2 mm, 4.0 mm and 4.8 mm across the body. ISO 15977:2002 describes open-end dome rivets with an aluminium body and a steel mandrel from 2.4 mm up to 6.4 mm. It was confirmed in 2023. It is not a certificate, and no card here claims it. Danetre Workshop’s chart puts a 2.4 mm body in a 2.5–2.6 mm hole, a 3.2 mm body in 3.3–3.4 mm, a 4.0 mm body in 4.1–4.2 mm, and a 4.8 mm body in 4.9–5.0 mm. Too tight shaves the body. Too loose lets the set rivet spin. A typical hand gun stops at 4.8 mm, so 6.4 mm is the wrong household default. The stack of sheet, paint and any washer belongs on the pop rivet grip range page.
INCLY INCLY 1000-piece countersunk kit

Testsieger

INCLY INCLY 1000-piece countersunk kit
8.2/10about £21.99
View offer

Aluminium and steel is the normal metal

The usual kit is an aluminium body with a steel mandrel. After the snap, a piece of that steel stem stays in the body. Black and silver are finishes, not stainless. If one line says stainless and the next says aluminium, the metal is unresolved. INCLY pairs a stainless bullet with an aluminium line and 304 washers. DMJJSD conflicts stainless with an aluminium head and the phrase “stud earrings”. Those cards belong on the aluminium or stainless pop rivets page. A UK review of HAOCHEN said the diameters were one step smaller than the label. None of these cards is for brakes, steering, lifting points, gas appliances or designed structural steel.

Assortment or one size

Buy a labelled mix when the next hole is unknown. KLRStec at £19.99 is 125 each of 2.4, 3.2, 4.0 and 4.8 mm, if the gun already has those noses. ANVINKU at £8.49 is six lengths of a few diameters, and the head is not stated. Those are pack shapes, not a second ranking. Buy one size when a run of holes shares a diameter and a thickness. Parkertools lists JRP dome aluminium-and-steel bags from £2.48. A Screwfix Easyfix 4 x 8 mm 500-pack is noted at £16.99 including VAT, a Toolstation 4.8 x 10 mm 100-pack at £3.39 including VAT, and a Kayfast 3.2 x 6 mm 100-pack at £2.25. Those are other baskets, not amazon.co.uk shelf prices.

Common questions

What diameter pop rivet do I need for ordinary sheet?
For ordinary light sheet set with a hand gun, start with 3.2 mm, 4.0 mm or 4.8 mm, and keep 2.4 mm for thin work the smaller nose can hold. A 6.4 mm body is inside ISO 15977 and outside a typical hand gun. Diameter is not a strength ranking here, because none of these cards publishes a shear figure you could compare.
What drill size goes with 3.2 mm, 4.0 mm and 4.8 mm?
Use a clearance hole, not the body diameter. Danetre’s bands are 3.3–3.4 mm for a 3.2 mm rivet, 4.1–4.2 mm for 4.0 mm, and 4.9–5.0 mm for 4.8 mm. Too tight shaves the body. Too loose lets the set rivet spin. The fitting sequence itself is on the how-to page.
Dome, large flange or countersunk?
Choose a dome for firm ordinary sheet. Choose a large flange, or a washer, when the sheet is soft, brittle, or the hole is already worn. Choose countersunk only when the face must be flush and the hole is countersunk to match. A countersunk rivet in a plain hole does not become a dome.
Is an aluminium body with a steel mandrel the normal kit?
Yes, when the listing says both and does not contradict itself. Black or silver is a finish. A bullet that says stainless next to a material line that says aluminium leaves the metal unresolved. Matched stainless, body and mandrel both named, is a separate buy and is not established by the cards in this set.
Should I buy an assortment or one size?
Buy a labelled assortment when the next hole is unknown and you already own noses for the diameters in the box. Buy one size when a run of holes shares a diameter and a thickness. A piece count on its own does not tell you which of those you are looking at.

Related pages

Best pop rivets

Blind rivets

Aluminium or stainless pop rivets for a wet outdoor joint

Pop rivet grip range: 16 mm length is not the grip

How to fit a pop rivet: drill, pull, check the tail

Sources

Public standards and UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the stored amazon.co.uk cards, not a live re-check. No pack is treated as ISO 15977 certified unless the card says so. There is no laboratory test.

  1. ISO 15977:2002 Open end blind rivets with break pull mandrel and protruding head (aluminium body, steel mandrel) (retrieved October 2026)
  2. ISO 15977:2002 sample, length and grip (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Danetre Workshop, blind rivet size chart (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Leitz UK, Rapid, choosing the right blind rivet (retrieved October 2026)
  5. bolts.co.uk, pop rivets (retrieved October 2026)
  6. HSE, using the right type of PPE (retrieved October 2026)
  7. BlueSpot rivet gun manual (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11, goods to match the description (retrieved October 2026)