Types of Fireworks

Sparklers
Sparklers are tiny hand held fountains that give off coloured sparks from the burning tip. They are the only firework with the intention of being held. There are two types - metal rod and "Morning Glory".

1. Metal rod sparklers are typically found in one colour, usually gold or silver.

2. Morning Glories are attached to wooden rods and have 3 distinct burning phases - usually a red flame for about 20 seconds, then a snapping/crackle phase for 20 seconds, and finishing off with 20 seconds of a white/green flame. They cost slightly more than metal sparklers but are much safer because they don't leave a hot wire behind.

Roman Candles
Whereas repeaters and shells only fire one shot per tube, Roman candles fire many shots from a single tube. These shots are fired one at a time out of a tube. The type of shots can range from a simple colour star to more complex stars that flash, explode, whistle, and crackle. Roman candles with a larger diameter even have shots the shoot out and burst like miniature aerial shells.

Rockets
These fireworks blast up into the sky and emit some kind of effect; such as a crackle, report, or stars. Rockets are stabilized by a long stick, and can be broken down into two subcategories: bottle rockets and skyrockets.

1. Bottle rockets are small, one foot in length rockets that whistle/explode, and are obviously launched from a bottle.

2. Skyrockets are rockets that are greater than one foot in length and contain more striking effects such as stars, crackles, strobes, and even parachutes. Huge skyrockets, which can be anywhere from 3-5 feet long, have large payload sections that actually contain aerial shells.

Firecrackers
Firecrackers are the earliest form of fireworks. They come in various sized packages - from strings of as little as 12 to extremely large celebration rolls of up to 20,000. Firecrackers are packaged in different sized cases that indicate the total number of crackers by a special code printed on the label, such as 6/80/16. This means that the case contains 6 units of 80 packs of crackers each, and each pack contains 16 crackers fused together on one string. Thus, the total number of crackers can be determined by multiplying the number.

Bomb/Aerial Shells
One of the most popular types of consumer fireworks available today are the reloadable shell kits. When ignited, the shell is propelled high into the air, where it explodes into a stunning pattern of colours, similar to those fireworks seen at professional displays. These assortments contain one or two tubes and anywhere from 6 to nearly 100 shells. The mortar (tube) can be built from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), fibreglass or heavy cardboard. Small kits typically contain a single 12" long cardboard mortar and 6-18 standard single-break shells. "Artillery Shells", which come in different colour boxes, have fairly decent bursts and are reasonably priced.

Wheels
These are fireworks that are attached to some sort of vertical support, be it a plank of wood or a wall, usually by a nail. When lit, they spin around their centre emitting showers of sparks, crackle, and whistles. They spin at incredible speeds, looking like a circle of blazing fire floating in midair. The several engines with the makeup of the wheel fire in sequence and power the speed and acceleration of the firework.