Aluminium fastener wire is drawn wire and wire rod made for cold heading and machining into rivets, screws, bolts, nuts and studs. The right choice depends on how the fastener is formed and loaded: soft, ductile grades such as 1100, 2117 and 5056 for rivets, free-machining 2011 for turned screws, and heat-treatable 2024, 6061, 7050 and 7075 for structural bolts. This guide compares the alloys, tempers, standards and quality checks fastener makers need.
A rivet or bolt starts life as a short slug cut from a coil and shaped in a header in a fraction of a second. The head may spread to twice the wire diameter in one or two blows. Ordinary drawn wire would split under that strain, so fastener wire is produced and tested specifically for cold heading: tight diameter tolerance, a clean surface free of seams and laps, controlled grain size and a temper that gives the right balance of softness and strength.
Aluminium fasteners exist for three main reasons. They avoid galvanic corrosion when joining aluminium structures, because the fastener and the parts are close in electrochemical potential. They save weight, which matters in aircraft where a single airframe can contain hundreds of thousands of rivets. And they are non-magnetic, conductive and easy to form, which suits electrical, electronic and appliance assemblies.
The same wire can be supplied in different forms depending on the customer's process: coils for automatic cold headers, straight lengths for screw machines, and heavier wire rod for drawing down to final size in the fastener plant.
Typical shear strength is the property most relevant to rivets, since rivets are loaded in shear. Values below are typical room-temperature figures for the listed temper from Aluminum Association data; design values for aerospace fasteners come from the governing specification and handbook.
| Alloy | Common temper(s) | Typical shear strength | Main fastener use | Why it is chosen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100 | O, H14 | About 76 MPa (H14) | Light rivets, electrical rivets, soft blind-rivet bodies | Very ductile, conductive, easy to head |
| 1050 / 1060 / 1350 | O, H1x | Low | Conductive screws, terminals, grounding rivets | High electrical conductivity |
| 2117 | H13 wire, T4 rivets | About 195 MPa (T4) | Aircraft and general solid rivets (AD) | Can be driven as received without re-heat treatment |
| 2017 / 2017A | T4 | About 260 MPa (T4) | Structural rivets (D), bolts | Higher strength; older aircraft and industrial rivets |
| 2024 | T4 / T42 | About 285 MPa (T4) | High-strength rivets (DD), bolts, screws | High shear and fatigue strength |
| 2011 | T3, T8 | About 220 MPa (T3) | Machined screws and turned fasteners | Free-machining; small, broken chips |
| 5056 / 5056A | O, H32 | About 180 MPa (O) | Rivets for magnesium and marine assemblies (B) | Corrosion resistant; compatible with magnesium |
| 5052 / 5154 | O, H32 | Moderate | Blind-rivet bodies, outdoor rivets | Good corrosion resistance and formability |
| 6061 / 6082 | O for heading, then T6 | About 205 MPa (6061-T6) | Industrial bolts, nuts, screws, blind rivets | Balanced strength, corrosion resistance and cost |
| 7050 | T73 | High | Aerospace rivets (E) and bolts | High strength with stress-corrosion resistance |
| 7075 | O for heading, then T6 or T73 | About 330 MPa (T6) | High-strength bolts, screws, nuts | Highest common strength; T73 used where stress corrosion is a risk |
Shear values are typical, not specified minimums. 1350, 5052, 5154 and 7050 are listed qualitatively; their figures depend on temper and specification.
Solid rivets are formed twice: once when the head is cold-headed from wire, and again when the rivet is driven in the joint and the shank is upset to form the second head. The alloy and temper must survive both operations without cracking, then deliver the required shear strength in service.
| Alloy | Code letter (MS / NAS rivets) | Head marking | Driving condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1100 | A | Plain head | Driven as received |
| 2117 | AD | Dimple | Driven as received (T4); becomes T3 after driving |
| 2017 | D | Raised dot | Solution treated and driven promptly, or kept refrigerated |
| 2024 | DD | Two raised dashes | "Icebox" rivet: solution treated, then refrigerated and driven before it age-hardens |
| 5056 | B | Raised cross | Driven as received |
| 7050 | E | Raised ring | Driven in the aged T73 condition |
The table follows the long-established conventions for aircraft solid rivets used in MS20470, MS20426 and related standards. 2117 became the standard general aircraft rivet precisely because it can be driven without heat treatment immediately before use. 2017 and 2024 rivets harden at room temperature after solution treatment, so they must be driven within minutes or stored at sub-zero temperatures to delay ageing, which is why they are called icebox rivets.
For industrial blind rivets, the body is commonly 5052, 5154 or 5056 for corrosion resistance and good flaring, or 1100 and 3xxx alloys for soft, easy setting. The mandrel may be aluminium (for all-aluminium joints) or a stronger metal supplied by the rivet maker.
Heading stock in 6061, 6082, 2024 or 7075 is usually supplied annealed (O) or lightly drawn so it can be headed, then the parts are solution treated, quenched and aged to T6 (or T73 for 7075). Threads are rolled before or after heat treatment depending on the strength and fatigue requirement.
2011-T3 is the classic free-machining alloy: it forms small, broken chips on automatic lathes. Because it contains lead and bismuth, buyers with RoHS-sensitive products may specify lead-free variants such as 2011B, or 6xxx alloys that machine well.
Nuts are cold-formed or machined from wire, rod or hexagon bar in 2024, 6061, 6082 and 7075. Use the same or a compatible alloy to the bolt so galling and galvanic effects are controlled.
Straight lengths in 2024, 6061 and 7075 are cut, chamfered and thread-rolled. Straightness and diameter tolerance are as important as strength.
2219 and 2618 retain strength better than other aluminium alloys up to roughly 150 – 250 °C and are used for engine-area and aerospace fasteners.
1xxx alloys and 6101 are used for terminal screws, bus connections and earthing clamps where current must pass through the joint.
Mechanical properties for finished aluminium bolts, screws and nuts are covered by ISO 8839 (EN 28839), which defines property classes for non-ferrous fasteners, and by aerospace specifications for flight hardware. The wire supplier delivers material that can reach those properties after the fastener maker's heat treatment.
| Temper | Condition | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| O | Fully annealed, softest | Severe heading (large head-to-shank ratios), followed by heat treatment for heat-treatable alloys |
| H12 / H13 / H14 | Lightly to quarter-hard drawn | Rivets and parts that need some as-supplied strength but moderate heading strain; 2117-H13 is a classic rivet wire temper |
| H16 / H18 | Three-quarter to full hard | Straight wire, pins and parts with little or no heading |
| T4 | Solution treated, naturally aged | Rivet wire in 2017, 2024 and 2117 for heading and driving |
| T3 / T8 | Solution treated, cold worked (and aged for T8) | 2011 screw-machine stock |
| T6 / T73 | Solution treated and artificially aged | Finished-strength stock for machined fasteners, or as the final condition after heading |
Matching the temper to the header is a joint decision between wire supplier and fastener maker. A wire that is too hard splits at the head periphery; one that is too soft may buckle in the die or fail to fill sharp head corners. Sending a sample part or the heading sequence with the enquiry is the quickest way to agree the right condition. For new parts, a short trial run on a few coils before full production confirms that head fill, cracking and finished strength are all within limits.
Each Metline delivery carries a mill test certificate to EN 10204 3.1 with heat number, chemistry and mechanical results; further tests such as upset or shear testing are agreed at order stage.
Understanding the route helps when discussing defects or tolerances with a supplier. The usual sequence is:
Most heading defects trace back to one of three causes: surface seams carried over from the rod, inconsistent temper along the coil, or diameter variation that over- or under-fills the die. Good mills control all three; asking for in-line eddy-current testing and coil-end mechanical tests gives the buyer evidence that they have.
Availability of a given alloy, temper and diameter combination is confirmed at quotation.
Wire weight is easy to estimate: a 1 m length of aluminium wire of diameter d (mm) weighs π/4 × d² × 2.70 ÷ 1,000 kg. A 5 mm wire weighs about 0.053 kg/m, so a 100 kg coil holds roughly 1,890 m.
Use aluminium fasteners in aluminium structures where possible. Where steel or stainless fasteners are unavoidable, isolate them with washers, sealants or coatings to limit galvanic attack on the aluminium.
7075-T6 can suffer stress-corrosion cracking under sustained tension in moist environments. The overaged T73 temper, or 7050-T73, is used for bolts and rivets that stay highly loaded.
2xxx and 7xxx fasteners are usually anodised or given a conversion coating, and often installed wet with sealant in aircraft.
5056 rivets are traditionally used with magnesium parts because their potential is closer to magnesium than 2xxx rivets.
Most aluminium fasteners lose strength above about 120 – 150 °C over long exposure; use 2219 or 2618 where higher temperatures are expected.
Aluminium threads have lower shear capacity than steel, so allow longer engagement in tapped aluminium holes or use thread inserts.
| Industry | Typical fasteners | Common alloys |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace | Solid rivets, blind rivets, lightweight bolts and collars | 2117, 2017, 2024, 2219, 5056, 7050, 7075 |
| Automotive and EV | Self-piercing and blind rivets, lightweight screws and bolts for aluminium bodies | 5052, 5056, 6061, 6082, 7075 |
| Marine | Rivets and screws for hulls, superstructures and fittings | 5052, 5056, 5154, 6061 |
| Construction and HVAC | Blind rivets for cladding, ducting and window systems; panel screws | 1100, 5052, 5154, 6061 |
| Electrical and electronics | Terminal screws, grounding rivets, cable-clamp fasteners | 1050, 1060, 1100, 1350, 6101 |
| Consumer goods | Rivets for cookware handles, luggage, ladders and furniture | 1100, 3003, 5052 |
For general aircraft and structural solid rivets, 2117 is the standard because it can be driven as received. 2024 and 2017 give higher shear strength but must be driven soon after solution treatment. For marine, blind and magnesium-assembly rivets, 5056 and 5052 are common; for soft electrical rivets, 1100.
Rivet and cold-heading wire is produced to tighter diameter tolerance, a defect-free surface, controlled grain size and a temper chosen for heading. It is tested for heading performance, which ordinary wire is not.
After solution treatment 2024 begins to age-harden at room temperature within minutes. Keeping the rivets refrigerated slows that ageing so they stay soft enough to drive; once driven they harden to full strength.
Yes. 7075 bolts give the highest strength of common aluminium fasteners. For bolts under sustained tension in moist environments, the T73 temper is preferred to reduce the risk of stress-corrosion cracking.
ASTM B316 covers aluminium rivet and cold-heading wire and rod, and EN 1301 covers drawn aluminium wire in Europe. Aerospace fasteners add AMS, NAS or customer specifications.
Buy finished drawn wire if you head directly from coil and have no drawing equipment. Fastener plants with their own drawing lines often buy wire rod of about 9.5 – 25 mm and draw it to the exact size their dies need, which gives flexibility across many part sizes and allows a final in-house anneal.
Yes. Fastener wire is supplied in coils or spools sized to the customer's pay-off equipment, as well as straight and cut lengths for screw machines.
Send the alloy, temper, diameter, coil format and quantity. We will confirm availability, test certificates and delivered terms.
