Blind rivets, also commonly referred to as POP Rivets, are mainly used in applications where there is no access to the rear (blind side) of the joint. Rivets have a two-piece construction; one is called the rivet body, shell, or hat, and another is called the stem or mandrel. Both the hat and mandrel are pre-assembled and ready to use. Rivets are installed by using a riveting tool to draw the mandrel, which causes the body to deform and clamp down on the joint. Upon reaching the designed clamping force, the mandrel snaps and is discarded. A benefit of blind rivets is that they are not material-specific, meaning they can combine two different material types together the same way.

To use a blind rivet, a hole is drilled, then the rivet is seated inside of the hole. Then a tool pulls the mandrel against the hat of the rivet. The back of the mandrel either has a bulge on the end or is connected to the hat in some way, which makes the edges of the hat expand down towards the material. Once this expansion reaches the material and builds pressure, a designed fault in the mandrel reaches its peak force capacity and snaps, leaving a properly installed rivet.

One of the biggest benefits of rivets is that there is no way to over- or under-torque a rivet. If the appropriate diameter and grip range are chosen, the rivet will install perfectly every time.