Screw vs. Rivet — What's the Difference?

A fastener with a threaded shaft designed to be inserted into materials.

Commonly used in construction and manufacturing for a strong joint.

It can be turned to tighten or loosen its hold on the joined items.

A permanent mechanical fastener with a smooth cylindrical shaft.

They come in various shapes and sizes for different materials and purposes.

Once installed, a rivet's tail end is deformed to keep it in place.

A screw and a bolt (see Differentiation between bolt and screw below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a male thread (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fasten materials by the engagement of the screw thread with a similar female thread (internal thread) in the matching part.

They are ideal for joining materials when screws are not practical.

A cylindrical rod incised with one or more helical or advancing spiral threads, as a lead screw or worm screw.

Available in various types like pop, blind, and solid for different uses.

The tapped collar or socket that receives this rod.

A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end.

A tapered and pointed wood screw.

A short metal pin or bolt for holding together two plates of metal, its headless end being beaten out or pressed down when in place

A cylindrical and flat-tipped machine screw.

Join or fasten (plates of metal) with a rivet or rivets

A device having a helical form, such as a corkscrew.

Hold (someone or something) fast so as to make them incapable of movement

A propeller.

A metal bolt or pin having a head on one end, inserted through aligned holes in the pieces to be joined and then hammered on the plain end so as to form a second head.

A twist or turn, as of a screw.

To fasten or secure, especially with a rivet or rivets.

A prison guard.

To hammer and bend or flatten the headless end of (a nail or bolt) so as to fasten something.

The turnkey of a jail.

To fix the attention of (someone)

Vulgar Slang The act or an instance of having sexual intercourse.

To engross or hold (the gaze or attention, for example).

Salary; wages.

A cylindrical mechanical fastener that attaches multiple parts together by fitting through a hole and deforming the head(s) at either end.

A small paper packet, as of tobacco.

(figuratively) Any fixed point or certain basis.

An old broken-down horse.

(obsolete) A light kind of footman's plate armour; an almain rivet. Category:en:Armor

A stingy or crafty bargainer.

(transitive) To attach or fasten parts by using rivets.

To drive or tighten (a screw).

(transitive) To install rivets.

To fasten, tighten, or attach by means of a screw or similar fastener.

To command the attention of.

To attach (a tapped or threaded fitting or cap) by twisting into place.

To make firm or immovable.

To rotate (a part) on a threaded axis.

A metallic pin with a head, used for uniting two plates or pieces of material together, by passing it through them and then beating or pressing down the point so that it shall spread out and form a second head; a pin or bolt headed or clinched at both ends.

To contort (one's face).

To fasten with a rivet, or with rivets; as, to rivet two pieces of iron.

(Slang) To treat (someone) unfairly; exploit or cheat

To spread out the end or point of, as of a metallic pin, rod, or bolt, by beating or pressing, so as to form a sort of head.

To turn or twist.

Hence, to fasten firmly; to make firm, strong, or immovable; as, to rivet friendship or affection.

To become attached by means of the threads of a screw.

Ornament consisting of a circular rounded protuberance (as on a vault or shield or belt)

To be capable of such attachment.

Heavy pin having a head at one end and the other end being hammered flat after being passed through holes in the pieces that are fastened together

Vulgar Slang To have sexual intercourse.

Direct one's attention on something;

A device that has a helical function.

Fasten with a rivet or rivets

A simple machine, a helical inclined plane.

Hold (someone's attention);

A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a partially or completely threaded shank, sometimes with a threaded point, and a head used to both hold the top material and to drive the screw either directly into a soft material or into a prepared hole.

(nautical) A ship's propeller.

An Archimedes screw.

A steam vessel propelled by a screw instead of wheels.

The motion of screwing something; a turn or twist to one side.

A prison guard.

An extortioner; a sharp bargainer; a skinflint.

An instructor who examines with great or unnecessary severity; also, a searching or strict examination of a student by an instructor.

Sexual intercourse; the act of screwing.

A casual sexual partner.

(slang) Salary, wages.

(billiards) Backspin.

(slang) A small packet of tobacco.

(dated) An old, worn-out, unsound and worthless horse.

(math) A straight line in space with which a definite linear magnitude termed the pitch is associated. It is used to express the displacement of a rigid body, which may always be made to consist of a rotation about an axis combined with a translation parallel to that axis.

An amphipod crustacean.

Rheumatism.

(transitive) To connect or assemble pieces using a screw.

To have sexual intercourse with.

To cheat someone or ruin their chances in a game or other situation.

(transitive) To extort or practice extortion upon; to oppress by unreasonable or extortionate exactions; to put the screws on.

(transitive) To contort.

To miskick (a ball) by hitting it with the wrong part of the foot.

To screw back.

To examine (a student) rigidly; to subject to a severe examination.

To leave; to go away; to scram.

A cylinder, or a cylindrical perforation, having a continuous rib, called the thread, winding round it spirally at a constant inclination, so as to leave a continuous spiral groove between one turn and the next, - used chiefly for producing, when revolved, motion or pressure in the direction of its axis, by the sliding of the threads of the cylinder in the grooves between the threads of the perforation adapted to it, the former being distinguished as the external, or male screw, or, more usually the screw; the latter as the internal, or female screw, or, more usually, the nut.

Specifically, a kind of nail with a spiral thread and a head with a nick to receive the end of the screw-driver. Screws are much used to hold together pieces of wood or to fasten something; - called also wood screws, and screw nails. See also Screw bolt, below.

Anything shaped or acting like a screw; esp., a form of wheel for propelling steam vessels. It is placed at the stern, and furnished with blades having helicoidal surfaces to act against the water in the manner of a screw. See Screw propeller, below.

A steam vesel propelled by a screw instead of wheels; a screw steamer; a propeller.

An extortioner; a sharp bargainer; a skinflint; a niggard.

An instructor who examines with great or unnecessary severity; also, a searching or strict examination of a student by an instructor.

A small packet of tobacco.

An unsound or worn-out horse, useful as a hack, and commonly of good appearance.

A straight line in space with which a definite linear magnitude termed the pitch is associated (cf. 5th Pitch, 10 (b)). It is used to express the displacement of a rigid body, which may always be made to consist of a rotation about an axis combined with a translation parallel to that axis.

An amphipod crustacean; as, the skeleton screw (Caprella). See Sand screw, under Sand.

To turn, as a screw; to apply a screw to; to press, fasten, or make firm, by means of a screw or screws; as, to screw a lock on a door; to screw a press.

To force; to squeeze; to press, as by screws.

Hence: To practice extortion upon; to oppress by unreasonable or extortionate exactions.

To twist; to distort; as, to screw his visage.

To examine rigidly, as a student; to subject to a severe examination.

To use violent mans in making exactions; to be oppressive or exacting.

To turn one's self uneasily with a twisting motion; as, he screws about in his chair.

Someone who guards prisoners

A simple machine of the inclined-plane type consisting of a spirally threaded cylindrical rod that engages with a similarly threaded hole

A propeller with several angled blades that rotates to push against water or air

A fastener with a tapered threaded shank and a slotted head

Slang terms for sexual intercourse

Have sexual intercourse with;

Turn like a screw

Cause to penetrate, as with a circular motion;

Tighten or fasten by means of screwing motions;

Defeat someone in an expectation through trickery or deceit

A screw is used in a wide range of applications from construction to machinery.

Can be made from different materials like steel, brass, or aluminum.

No, it can also be an event, activity, or person that draws attention.

No, a destination can be near or far, wherever one intends to go.

Yes, rivets require a pre-drilled hole to insert the rivet before it's deformed to hold materials together.

Yes, destinations often have multiple attractions to visit.

Screws are used for fastening materials by digging in and wedging into the material when turned.

Rivets are used to permanently join two pieces of metal or other rigid materials together.

A screwdriver or a power drill with a screw bit is needed for installing a screw.

Yes, screws have various head types, like flat, Phillips, Torx, and more, for different drives and applications.

Yes, screws can be removed and reinserted using appropriate tools like screwdrivers.

Yes, screws can be used for joining metal, wood, plastic, and other materials.

Yes, there are various types of rivets, including pop rivets, blind rivets, and solid rivets, each with specific uses.

Both are used, but rivets are commonly preferred in aircraft for their durability and ability to withstand high stress without loosening.

No, rivets are designed for permanent fastening and are not meant to be removed.

Yes, screws typically require a pilot hole, especially in hard materials.

Yes, screws can be tightened or loosened as needed after installation.

Yes, the tail of the rivet expands to create a "shop head" that holds the rivet in place.

Rivets are often considered more secure due to their permanent fastening and lack of tension that can loosen over time.

A rivet gun or hammer is typically used to install a rivet.