What Is the Difference Between Safety Matches and Regular Matches?

Regular black-headed matches are the initial design of safety matches, originating in Sweden. As the match head remained black after being ignited, dye was added to the match head in later safety matches to differentiate them, resulting in the now common red-headed and green-headed matches. Whether red, green, or black-headed, they all belong to colored safety matches. But what are the differences between safety matches and regular matches? Let's keep reading.

Differences between safety matches and regular matches

Safety matches

The match head of colored safety matches is composed of red phosphorus and antimony trisulfide, while the side of the matchbox contains glass powder and potassium chlorate. This design separates the strong oxidant and strong reducer to achieve safety. When striking the match, the glass powder increases friction, locally producing a certain temperature, causing the potassium chlorate to decompose and release oxygen. With the help of the oxygen, antimony trisulfide begins to burn, releasing more heat and causing the red phosphorus to convert to white phosphorus, which further burns. The smell that can be detected when striking a match is the sulfur dioxide produced by the combustion of antimony trisulfide.

Regular matches

Regular matches refer to matches made by cutting wooden sticks with a small cross-section and short length, without chemical treatment. The wooden sticks of regular matches are usually made of soft, straight-grained wood that is easily flammable and odorless. The commonly used trees are in the willow and poplar families, as well as pine or fir. The making of wax matches has two methods: one is shaping by drawing, and the other is shaping by extrusion. Both methods require processes such as cutting, waxing, molding, cooling and cutting. The raw material is a quantitative 40-45g/m2 glazed paper, which is divided into a width of 20-25mm rolls of paper. The sticks are formed by molding wheels or molds in melted paraffin at a temperature of about 120°C to form round or square cross-section sticks, which are then cooled in cold water or air and cut into stick branches. The specifications of wax sticks are generally 28-38mm in length, 1.5mm in diameter for round sticks, and 1.6×1.6mm in cross-section for square sticks.

The advantages of safety matches: The separation of red phosphorus and oxidants

Safety matches are not only safer, but also use non-toxic chemicals. Therefore, they are also known as safety matches. The match head mainly contains potassium chlorate, manganese dioxide, sulfur, and glass powder. The matchstick is coated with a small amount of paraffin. The friction layer on both sides of the matchbox is made by blending red phosphorus and glass powder. The main process of lighting a match is: when the match head is rubbed against the matchbox, the heat generated causes the phosphorus to burn; the heat released by the burning phosphorus causes the potassium chlorate to decompose; the oxygen released by the decomposition of potassium chlorate reacts with the sulfur; the heat released by the reaction between the sulfur and oxygen ignites the paraffin, finally lighting the matchstick.

Match factories in China produce various types of safety matches. F-Zero was established in 2000 and we are proud to introduce ourselves as one of the leading manufacturers of safety matches. In order to ensure that our products are of the highest quality, we conduct multiple quality checks throughout the entire production process. All matches are produced in our factories in China with strict quality control. Feel free to inquire about our products online!