Types of fireworks

Aerial shells and mortars

display shells, reloadable mortars, canister shells

An aerial shell is a ball or cylinder of stars with a lift charge underneath. It is dropped into a tube (the mortar), the lift charge throws it high into the sky, and a time fuse bursts it at the top. Professional display shells range from about 3 inches to more than a foot in diameter. Consumer reloadable shells in the United States are limited to 60 grams of composition each and are fired from small tubes about 1.75 inches wide.

Cakes and repeaters

multi-shot cakes, barrages, repeaters, compound fireworks

A cake is a block of many tubes joined by one fuse. Light it once and it fires shot after shot in a set sequence, often mixing several effects. Cakes are the backbone of backyard shows because a single item can run for 30 seconds to several minutes. Most of the cakes sold in the US and Europe are made in Liuyang, Hunan, the world's largest fireworks production center.

500-gram cakes

500g cakes, max-load cakes

In the United States, consumer multi-shot aerial devices may contain at most 500 grams of pyrotechnic composition. Cakes built right up to that limit are called 500-gram cakes. They give the biggest effects legally available to consumers and are what most enthusiasts compare when they talk about brands.

Roman candles

candles, magic shots

A Roman candle is a single long tube that fires stars one at a time, separated by layers of slow-burning delay composition. Because the tube is usually hand-held in old movies, many places now require candles to be staked into the ground. Modern candle batteries fire many candles together from one base.

Rockets

sky rockets, bottle rockets, missiles

A rocket carries its own motor and a stick for stability, so it flies up on its own instead of being shot from a tube. It bursts at the top with stars, crackle or a report. Small "bottle rockets" are banned in many US states and cities because their flight is hard to predict.

Fountains

gerbs, ground fountains, cone fountains

A fountain sits on the ground and sprays a column of sparks for several seconds. Because nothing leaves the ground, fountains are allowed in more places than any other consumer firework, including the "safe and sane" categories used in California and other states.

Sparklers

wire sparklers, hand-held sparklers

A sparkler is a metal wire coated with a slow-burning composition that throws off bright sparks. They look gentle but burn at around 2,000°F (about 1,100°C), hotter than many metals melt, and cause a large share of fireworks injuries to young children every year.

Firecrackers

crackers, firecracker strings, 鞭炮

Firecrackers are paper tubes of explosive composition made for noise rather than light. They are usually braided into long strings that go off in a rapid chain. US consumer firecrackers may contain no more than 50 milligrams of powder each. In China, strings of firecrackers are a traditional part of Spring Festival and weddings.

Peony

The peony is the most common aerial effect. The shell breaks into a sphere of bright stars that burn as clean dots of color and fade without leaving trails. Multi-color peonies fired together make the classic "bouquet" seen at almost every show.

Chrysanthemum

A chrysanthemum looks like a peony, but every star leaves a visible trail of sparks, so the burst reads as a dense flower with fine petals. Huge Japanese shells such as the sanshakudama, a shell about 90 cm across, open as giant gold chrysanthemums several hundred meters wide.

Willow

Willow stars burn slowly and are slowed hard by air resistance, so after the burst they hang in the sky and fall in long drooping strands. Gold willows are often called "brocade crown" or kamuro. Blue-white willows fill the sky at large Chinese evening galas.

Crackle

Crackling stars contain a composition that splits into many tiny reports at the end of their burn. You see a cloud of white flashes and hear a sound like frying oil. Crackle is a favorite on consumer cakes because it adds noise and sparkle at low cost.

Jellyfish

The jellyfish is a novelty shell popular in Chinese consumer fireworks. A flat ring of stars forms the bell, and strands of glittering stars drift down beneath it like tentacles. Retail videos often pair it with a peony burst above.

Swimming fish

Fish effects use small self-propelled stars that zigzag through the air instead of flying straight, so the burst looks like a school of silver fish swimming outward. Blue and silver fish are common on Chinese cakes.

Comet

A comet is a large star that leaves a heavy tail as it climbs. When several tubes of different colors fire at once from a cake, they form a row of rainbow columns that rise from the ground and end in a small flash.

Fan

Fan cakes have their tubes angled left and right, so each shot leaves the box at a different angle. Gold tails that open into a fan and finish with white flashes are often marketed as "peacock" designs.

Fountain

Fountains stay on the ground and spray sparks for several seconds. Professional shows line them up along a stage or river bank for finales. Consumer fountains are the most widely permitted type in the United States, including in "safe and sane" areas.

Ribbon

Ribbon effects send colored stars along wavy paths at low height, painting bright curving streaks across the sky. Chinese cakes built around this effect are sold under names like "seven-color auspicious cloud" (七彩祥云).