Steel Tubular Rivets

Steel tubular rivets are fully hollow fasteners made from carbon steel tube stock. They are the most cost‑effective option in the tubular rivet family – delivering the low‑force installation of a hollow shaft with the strength and durability of steel. If you need a hollow rivet that can handle moderate loads without breaking the budget, they are the answer.

Steel Tubular vs. Drawn Eyelets – The Difference That Matters

Choose tubular rivets when: You need a hollow rivet with consistent wall thickness at the lowest cost. Industrial, construction, hardware, and moderate‑load applications where strength and economy both matter.

Head Styles – What We Offer

Tubular rivets are available in three head styles:

Materials & Finishes

We manufacture them from low‑carbon steel:

Available finishes:

One Real Application – Industrial Filter Bag Assembly

A manufacturer of industrial dust collection systems needed a hollow fastener to attach filter bags to metal cages. The fabric was thick, woven polyester – solid rivets would tear through the material, and screws would loosen under continuous vibration. The customer needed a fastener that would set with minimal force, hold permanently, and survive in dusty industrial environments.

We supplied zinc‑plated steel tubular rivets – 4.0mm shank, 7.5mm round head, 8.0mm barrel length, yellow zinc finish. The fully hollow shaft flared outward with minimal force – no tearing, no fabric damage. The zinc plating provided corrosion resistance for indoor industrial use. The customer tested 1,000 rivets across 500 filter bags. After 12 months of continuous operation, zero failures. They now order our tubular rivets in batches of 200,000 pieces annually.

How We Manufacture Tubular Rivets – Tube Cutting + Heading

Steel tubular rivets start as steel tube stock. The process is the same as other tubular rivets, but steel is the most forgiving material for tube‑based manufacturing.

1. Tube Stock Procurement – Certified low‑carbon steel tube from approved mills. Each batch comes with a mill test certificate and heat number.

2. Incoming Material Inspection – Tube stock checked for outside diameter (±0.02mm), wall thickness, and material composition. Tubes outside specification are rejected.

3. Tube Cutting – The tube is cut to precise blank length. Each blank becomes one rivet.

4. Heading – The cut tube blank is placed into a heading press. A carbide die forms the head (round, flat, or countersunk) on one end.

5. Trimming – Flash around the head edge is removed.

6. Tumbling – Micro‑burrs are eliminated.

7. Plating or Coating – Zinc, nickel, black oxide, or other finishes are applied as specified.

8. Final Inspection – 100% optical sorting. AQL sample manually verified. Dimensional report and Certificate of Conformance issued.

Lead time: 5–10 days standard; custom tooling: 15–20 days.

One Rivet, Eight Checks – How We Ensure Quality

Every batch of them passes through eight quality gates:

• Raw material diameter check – Tube stock measured with laser micrometer (±0.02mm).
• Raw material hardness check – Rockwell tester verifies HRB 70–85.
• First article appearance check – First 10 rivets inspected under magnification for cracks or defects.
• First article dimensional check – Head diameter, head height, shank, barrel length verified on optical comparator.
• In‑process checks – 5 rivets every 500 pieces. Any drift stops the press.
• Test setting (trial flaring) – Every 2,000 pieces, set 3 rivets into sample material. Clinch inspected for symmetry and cracks.
• Plating thickness check – XRF verification (if applicable).
• Final outgoing inspection – 100% optical sorting. AQL sample manually verified. Full documentation issued.

Our Certifications – Proof of Quality

We maintain full traceability and quality documentation for every batch of steel tubular rivets:

ISO 9001:2015 – Certified quality management system

RoHS compliance – Verified by SGS third‑party testing

REACH compliance – Current SVHC declaration

SGS test reports – Available upon request for specific batches

Material certificates – Mill test certificates traceable to original coil

All certifications and test reports are available for download or upon request. We believe in full transparency – what we claim, we can prove.

Three Questions We Answer Often

Q: "What is the difference between steel tubular rivets and steel semi‑tubular rivets?"

A: A steel tubular rivet is fully hollow – the entire barrel is a thin wall that flares outward during setting. A steel semi‑tubular rivet has a shallow cavity (45–55% of barrel length) with a thicker wall. Tubular rivets require the least setting force (15–20% of solid) and are ideal for fabric, leather, and lightweight assemblies. Semi‑tubular rivets offer more strength (80–90% of solid) and are better for general‑purpose applications where you need a balance of strength and low setting force.

Q: "Will they rust? How do I protect them?"

A: Uncoated steel will rust. We offer several finishes: zinc plating (clear or yellow) provides 48–96 hours of salt spray resistance for general industrial use; nickel plating provides 96 hours with a bright, decorative finish; black oxide offers mild corrosion protection with a matte, anti‑glare appearance. For the filter bag case above, yellow zinc plating provided enough protection for indoor industrial use. For continuous outdoor or coastal exposure, we recommend stainless steel tubular rivets.

Q: "Where are they commonly used?"

A: Steel tubular rivets are used across a wide range of industrial and construction applications:

For the filter bag case above, steel tubular rivets were the right choice because they provided the strength needed at the lowest cost, with zinc plating for corrosion protection.