Spiral Tubes

Buy Firework Tubes, Heavy Shell, Mortar Tubes, Box Star Shells, Lance Tubes

What's the difference between a fireworks tube that is spiral and one that is parallel (or "convolute")? Well they're made differently and it's easy to tell by the way the paper is wound. Paper towels or toilet paper are both wound parallel. But the paper tube inside them is wound spirally.

So in making fireworks, when do you use spiral tubes and for what? Well, for some fireworks making applications, the two tubes are interchangeable. But in general, spiral tubes are used to make aerial shells, shell inserts, salutes or reports, lance work and small mortars. For many spiral fireworks tube applications, you will need to use a disk to cover the end or an end-cap (fits over the ouside of the tube), or an end-plug (fits/plugs into the tube). The proper plugs, disks, and caps are shown with each tube. If your tube is designed to be a fireworks shell or a mortar, then the mating tube number is also shown. By the way, a "shell" is fired into the air. The "mortar" is the tube from which it is fired. All tubes are a brown kraft color unless otherwise noted. More resources on making fireworks and finding the right tube for your pyrotechnic device.

If you are using any of these tubes as mortar tubes, here is how you can make them reusable over and over again, and provide them with stable, solid bases which will not tip over. These tubes do not come with bases, though. Click here: How to Make Stable Bases for Cardboard Mortar Tubes.

Identifying the Right Parts

"I.D." refers to the inside dimension of the fireworks tube. "O.D." refers to the outside dimension of the tube. The listings below are shown in ID order. Matching parts (shells or mortars, plugs, caps, and disks) for spiral tubes are indicated in the columns under "Matching Part Numbers." All matching parts have to be purchased separately--they do not come with your tubes. Paired casings (shells and mortars) have sufficient clearance. This means that a #0 shell is made to fit inside #0 mortar. "Matching Plug" refers to either a paper end plug or a wooden plug (for mortars) that fits inside the tube. When there is no matching part number shown (that is, a blank space), it means there are none in stock at this time. Ask for it if you need it; we may be adding it to inventory soon. When a matching part number is shown as "n/a," this means "not applicable"--which means the part is either not needed and/or generally not manufactured."

* In addition to the matching part numbers shown, others are available that will work with this item. Look for similar sized parts elsewhere in this catalog, or call us if you can't find what you need.