Grommets and Eyelets: A Manufacturing Guide

Wherever a hole in fabric, leather, plastic, or paper must be reinforced so it will not tear, a grommet or eyelet does the job. Grommets and eyelets are small rings, usually two mating pieces, that clamp around the edge of a punched hole to protect it, present a finished appearance, and provide a durable passage for a lace, cord, rope, cable, or fastener. They appear on curtains, banners, tarps, shoes, bags, apparel, tents, and industrial covers, and although they are among the simplest fasteners, producing them at volume with a clean set and a reliable finish takes real tooling and process discipline. As a Taiwan metal stamping and molding partner, INTERTECH can supply metal and plastic grommets and eyelets, the tooling behind them, and the setting equipment that installs them.

This guide explains the difference between grommets and eyelets, how they are manufactured and set, the choice between metal and plastic, the sizing and finishing decisions buyers face, and where they are used. It sits within a broader cluster on fasteners and snaps and complements the companion pieces on rivets and on snap-fastener manufacturing.

Grommet or Eyelet: What Is the Difference

The terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a working distinction. An eyelet is typically a single-piece metal or plastic ring with a barrel that is punched through the material and rolled or flared over on the back to secure it, common in smaller sizes on shoes, garments, and paper. A grommet is usually a two-piece assembly, a barrel ring and a matching washer, that clamps the material between them for greater strength, used in larger sizes and heavier-duty applications such as tarps, banners, and industrial covers. In practice, eyelets are the lighter, smaller cousins and grommets the larger, sturdier ones, but both perform the same essential function of reinforcing a hole.

Choosing between them comes down to the load on the hole and the material being reinforced. A shoelace hole in soft fabric may need only an eyelet, while a rope hole in a heavy vinyl banner that will flap in the wind needs the clamping strength of a two-piece grommet with a washer. Getting this choice right at the design stage prevents holes from tearing out in service.

How Metal Grommets and Eyelets Are Made

Metal grommets and eyelets are produced by stamping and forming, most efficiently through progressive die stamping for high volumes. A coil of metal, commonly brass, steel, aluminum, or stainless steel, is fed through a die where it is blanked and then drawn and formed into the barrel ring, with the washer produced as a matching stamped part. The barrel must be formed with a wall and a rolled edge that will flare cleanly when set, so the forming operations and the metal’s temper have to be controlled for a consistent, tear-free set.

Deep drawing is central to the barrel form. Stretching flat metal into the cup-and-tube shape of a grommet requires staged forming so the wall stays even and the edge stays smooth enough to flare and to plate. Because the set quality depends directly on the barrel geometry, a stamping partner that designs and builds its own dies can tune the draw and form to the specific metal and size, and hold that geometry stable across a long run so every grommet sets the same way.

How Plastic Grommets and Eyelets Are Made

Plastic grommets and eyelets are injection molded, offering corrosion immunity, light weight, electrical insulation, and a wide range of colors. Resins are chosen for the application: tough grades for load-bearing reinforced holes, flexible grades where the grommet must cushion or seal, and weather-resistant formulations for outdoor use. A molded grommet can integrate features that would be hard to stamp, such as a soft sealing lip, a snap-together two-piece design, or a cable-friendly rounded bore, and it can be color-matched to the product.

Because plastic grommets are molded, the closure and sealing geometry are built into the part, and multi-cavity tooling keeps unit cost low at volume. They are the natural choice for electrical cable pass-throughs where insulation matters, for products that must not corrode, and for applications where color or a soft sealing edge is wanted. A molder that provides design-for-manufacturing feedback can advise on resin, wall sections, and the snap or flare geometry before the tool is cut.

Setting: How the Hole Gets Reinforced

A grommet or eyelet is only useful once it is set into the material, and setting is itself a tooling operation. The barrel is inserted through a punched hole, and a setting die then rolls or flares the barrel edge, in the case of a two-piece grommet, capturing the washer and clamping the material between the ring and the washer. Done correctly, the set is tight, smooth, and evenly rolled, with no cracks or sharp edges; done poorly, the flare splits, the set loosens, or the edge cuts the material. The setting die must match the grommet size and geometry exactly, which is why setting tooling and the grommet itself should come from a coordinated source.

• Hand and bench setting tools suit prototyping, repairs, and low volumes where each grommet is set individually.
• Foot-press and pneumatic setting machines handle production volumes with consistent force and alignment.
• Automatic and semi-automatic setting equipment integrates into high-volume lines for products with many grommets.
• Matched dies for each grommet size ensure the barrel flares cleanly and clamps the material securely.

Materials and Finishes

Material and finish selection govern both the appearance and the durability of a grommet, and the right combination depends on the environment and the look the product needs.

• Brass forms and finishes well and resists corrosion, making it a common choice for decorative and general-purpose eyelets and grommets.
• Steel offers strength and low cost and is typically plated for corrosion protection in heavier-duty uses.
• Stainless steel is preferred for marine, outdoor, and high-corrosion applications such as boat covers and awnings.
• Aluminum provides light weight and corrosion resistance where strength demands are moderate.
• Plated and painted finishes, along with molded-in plastic colors, match the grommet to the product and add protection.

For metal grommets that contact skin, plating chemistry should respect nickel-release limits where applicable, and for outdoor products corrosion resistance is decisive because a rusting grommet stains and weakens the material around it.

Sizing and Design Considerations

A grommet must be matched to both the hole and the material thickness it will clamp. The inside diameter has to suit whatever passes through it, a lace, rope, cable, or fastener, while the barrel length must suit the combined thickness of the material so the flare seats correctly without being too short to grip or too long to roll cleanly. Under-sizing the barrel produces a loose set; over-sizing wastes material and can crush thin fabric. Because the set quality depends on this match, sizing should be settled early with the supplier, ideally validated on the actual material.

Load direction matters too. Grommets in products that will be tensioned or that flap in wind must resist pull-out, which favors a two-piece design with a washer and adequate contact area, and may call for reinforcement of the material itself around the hole. These are the kinds of trade-offs a partner experienced in reinforced-hole hardware raises during design review.

Applications Across Industries

Grommets and eyelets reinforce holes across an enormous range of products. Textiles and soft goods use them in curtains, banners, flags, and bags; footwear and apparel use eyelets for lacing and vents; outdoor and industrial products use heavy grommets in tarps, tents, covers, and awnings; and electrical and equipment applications use plastic grommets to protect cables passing through panels. In every case the grommet turns a vulnerable punched hole into a durable, finished feature, which is why matching the type, material, and set to the application is worth doing carefully.

One-Stop Sourcing from a Single Taiwan Partner

Products that use grommets often also use molded parts, other stamped hardware, and matching finishes, and coordinating separate suppliers adds cost and risk. INTERTECH brings metal stamping dies and parts together with plastic injection molding, finishing, and assembly under one roof in Taiwan, with more than 30 years of experience and 100% made-in-Taiwan production. Whether a product needs plated metal grommets, molded plastic cable grommets, or both alongside other hardware, a single supplier can produce the parts, supply matched setting tooling, and take responsibility for a clean, consistent set across the run.

What Buyers Should Evaluate

• Choose between a single-piece eyelet and a two-piece grommet based on the load on the hole and the material being reinforced.
• Decide between metal and plastic according to corrosion exposure, insulation needs, appearance, and whether a soft sealing edge is required.
• Provide the material thickness and the size of whatever passes through so the barrel length and bore can be matched correctly.
• Confirm the supplier designs and builds its own dies and can control the barrel forming for a clean, tear-free set.
• Ask whether matched setting tooling and, if needed, in-house setting are available so installation is coordinated with the part.
• Select materials and finishes for the environment, favoring stainless outdoors and compliant plating for skin contact.

Conclusion

Grommets and eyelets look elementary, yet a hole that tears out because the barrel was mis-sized, the set was poorly flared, or the finish corroded is a product failure. Producing them well means matching type, material, size, and setting to the application, with tooling controlled tightly enough that every grommet sets cleanly. If you are looking for a reliable metal stamping supplier and injection mold maker in Taiwan for your grommet or eyelet project, please contact INTERTECH to discuss your drawings, materials, and production requirements.

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