A carriage bolt generally has a round head and a flat tip and is threaded along part of its shank. Carriage bolts are often referred to as plow bolts or coach bolts and are most commonly used in wood applications. Bolts are temporary fasteners, whereas rivets are permanent fasteners. You can easily remove bolts after installing them; you just need to use the same bit that you used to install the bolts but in reverse. Rivets are permanent fasteners, so you can't easily remove them.
