What is the drill size for a 3/16 rivet?

Content

Rivet sizes
General rule
What size drill to use

What size drill do you need to use a 3/16 rivet?

If you are using a 3/16" rivet, you will need to know what size drill to use. You can use our handy table below to determine exactly which drill we recommend you use. It also lists drill sizes for other standard rivet diameters.

For a 3/16 rivet, you will need a No. 10 (0.194) or No. 11 (0.191) drill. The rule of thumb for sizing a drill for a particular rivet is to allow up to six thousandths of an inch of extra diameter so that the rivet can slide quickly into the hole.

Rivets are light, cheap, strong and reliable, but like screws and bolts, holes must be prepared to use them. This explains if you have a dilemma as to how recommended drill sizes are determined.

Rivet sizes

Rivet diameters are expressed in 1/32" increments and rivet lengths in 1/16" increments.

General rule

A general rule of thumb for determining the appropriate drill size for a particular rivet is to allow for up to six-thousandths of an inch (usually 4-6/1000 of an inch) increase in diameter. That is, the drilled hole should be slightly larger than the diameter of the rivet, just enough so that the rivet can quickly enter the hole. Once installed, the rivet will expand and fill the gap tightly.

What size drill to use

The table above shows recommended drill sizes for a range of standard rivet sizes. As you can see from the highlighted line, if you are going to use a 3/16" rivet, you have two options:

Eit use and #10 (0.194 or 0.1935 to be exact) drill or a # 11 (0.191) drill for rivet 3/16.

Both of these sizes should give you enough hole to insert a 3/16 rivet. Drill #10 is slightly larger than drill #11. You may prefer to use the #11 drill first, and if you find the rivets fit well, you can use the same for the other holes. However, if the rivet does not insert easily, you can try a slightly larger #10 bit.

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