Fastening, Torque & Joint Assembly worked example

Rivet Cycle Time at 12% handling, check, and rework allowance: a worked example

What does the result look like when handling, check, and rework allowance reaches 12%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when scheduling blind rivets, solid rivets, self-piercing rivets, or orbital riveting in assembly production.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Rivets to set: 1,800 rivets (unchanged)
  • Accepted rivets set per hour: 420 rivets / hr (unchanged)
  • Handling, check, and rework allowance: 12 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 10)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base riveting time = rivets to set รท accepted rivets set per hour) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4.8 hr for required rivet cycle hours, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4.29 hr for base riveting hours.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 12 % for rivet handling/check allowance.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 420 rivets / hr for accepted rivet setting rate.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where handling, check, and rework allowance sits at 10% and the headline result is 4.71 hr, this scenario comes in 1.82% above the baseline at 4.8 hr.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when handling, check, and rework allowance is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It uses a single average rate; mixed rivet types, hard-access locations, or fixturing changes within a job can swing the real rate well above or below the input.

Results at a glance

  • Required rivet cycle hours: 4.8 hr (headline result)
  • Base riveting hours: 4.29 hr
  • Rivet handling/check allowance: 12 %
  • Accepted rivet setting rate: 420 rivets / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Rivet Cycle Time calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.