Military Rivets — Solid & Blind
Rivets are permanent mechanical fasteners essential for aircraft skin, aerodynamic surfaces, and heavy structural panel joining — installed by deforming one end of the fastener to clamp two or more sheets together without threads, welding, or adhesive. Ananka manufactures and exports these to customers across 40+ countries.
Military Rivets We Manufacture
Solid Rivets
Installed with access to both sides of the joint using a rivet gun and bucking bar — the traditional aircraft-skin and structural fastening method, offering the highest joint strength.
Blind Rivets
Installed from one side only using a pull-mandrel tool, used where the back side of the joint isn't accessible — common in enclosed structures and secondary assembly.
Overview: How Military Rivet Specifications Are Organized
MS20426 covers solid rivets with a 100° countersunk "precision" head, allowing the installed rivet to sit flush with the surrounding surface — the standard choice for aerodynamically smooth aircraft skin panels. The most common material variant, "AD" (2117-T4 aluminum alloy), balances strength and workability, while a softer "A" (1100 pure aluminum) variant is available where greater ductility is needed during the driving/bucking process. Buyers across different regions often search for this hardware as "aircraft rivets," "structural rivets," or "AN/MS rivets" — Ananka manufactures and exports under all of these designations to customers in Oil & Gas, Power, Nuclear, Marine, Aerospace, and Defense sectors.
Solid rivets require access to both sides of the joint: one end is pre-formed with a factory head, and the protruding shank end is upset (bucked) into a second head using a rivet gun on one side and a bucking bar backing it up on the other. Blind rivets, by contrast, are engineered to be installed and set entirely from one side, using a mandrel that's pulled through the rivet body to form the back-side head — critical for closed-box structures, panels, or assemblies where the far side simply can't be reached.
For the mating washers and structural bolts often used alongside riveted assemblies, see Ananka's military washers and military bolts categories.
- MS20426 has been folded into the AIA/NAS-maintained NASM20426 document, though "MS20426" part numbers remain the universal industry callout.
- A closely related family, MS20427, covers the same 100° countersunk head style in carbon steel, corrosion resistant steel, Monel, and copper for applications where aluminum isn't suitable.
Solid vs. Blind: Which Do You Need?
Applicable Standards
Explore the individual military rivet specifications Ananka manufactures to.
Compliance & Sourcing References
Verify the current governing document and procurement history through official government sources.
The full MS20426 specification, along with its current NASM20426 governing document, can be verified through the Defense Logistics Agency's ASSIST QuickSearch portal. NSN cross-references and procurement history for rivet hardware can be checked via DLA DIBBS. Ananka Fasteners manufactures MS20426 rivets to the current active revision and supplies full Mill Test Certification with every shipment worldwide.
Military Rivets — Frequently Asked Questions
What does the countersink angle on MS20426 rivets do?
The 100° countersink lets the installed rivet head sit flush with the surrounding surface once bucked, minimizing aerodynamic drag on aircraft skin panels compared to a protruding round head.
What's the difference between "AD" and "A" material codes?
"AD" denotes 2117-T4 aluminum alloy, the most common MS20426 rivet material for its balance of strength and workability. "A" denotes 1100 pure aluminum, a softer, more ductile option used where extra formability during installation is needed.
Are solid rivets stronger than blind rivets?
Generally yes — solid rivets, fully upset with a bucking bar, provide a more consistent and typically stronger joint than blind rivets, which is why solid rivets remain the standard for primary aircraft structure wherever both sides of the joint are accessible.
Does Ananka Fasteners export military rivets internationally?
Yes — Ananka manufactures and exports MS20426 solid rivets to customers across 40+ countries in the Oil & Gas, Power, Nuclear, Marine, Aerospace, and Defense sectors, with subsidiary support entities in the UK and USA.
Need Military Rivets to Print?
Ananka Fasteners manufactures solid rivets to MS20426 with full material traceability and Mill Test Certification on every lot.
Prefer email? sales@anankafasteners.com
