Boom! Crack! Spark! The Steel Behind the Fireworks

But look closely at a firework display and you’ll see that steel and other metals are playing an important part in creating the spectacular effects lighting up the night sky.

Steel creates the sparks

Some of the most recognisable firework effects come from burning metal particles.

Steel – an alloy of iron and carbon – can produce the familiar branching yellow and orange sparks that trail through the sky. Iron particles are also used to create golden spark effects.

The size and composition of the metal particles affect the way they burn, helping pyrotechnicians create different spark patterns and effects. Other metals, including titanium and aluminium, can produce brilliant white and silver sparks.

So, when you see those spectacular golden showers of sparks cascading from a firework, you’re seeing the result of metal particles becoming intensely hot and reacting with oxygen.

More than just sparks

Steel can also play a role in the equipment used for professional firework displays. Historically, steel mortar tubes have been used to launch aerial firework shells, with specialist guidance covering their safe use.

Of course, fireworks are carefully manufactured and regulated products, and their effects rely on a combination of fuels, oxidisers, colour-producing compounds and metals. The metals are what help transform the chemical reaction into the spectacular sparks and flashes we see from the ground.