One of the most common questions we’re asked is, “How do you measure a rivet?”
Let’s use a common code description and break it down, we’ll use ABL6-8A as our example.
The first letter “A” indicates the rivet material. For instance, “A” for aluminum, “S” for steel, “C” for copper and “SS” for stainless steel.
The second letter tells us the head style, “B” for button head, “C” for countersunk.
If there’s a third letter in the description, it’ll be an “L” for large flange head.
The first number in the description is for body diameter, in 32nds.
The second number indicates maximum grip length in 16ths. Grip Range is the “working range” that the rivet can handle to meet the strengths designated in the IFI 114 Standards. Grip Range is not actual length. As a general rule, you would want to subtract 1/8″ off the length of the barrel for the barrel to be able to expand and lock the material together. So using your math skills and reducing 8/16″ to 1/2″ and subtracting 1/8″ you would have a grip range of 3/8″ and your rivet would have a size of 6-8.
The final letter is the mandrel (nail or stem} material. “A” for aluminum, “S” for stainless steel, “B” for brass, “C” for copper. No letter indicates a steel mandrel.
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