How molded firework tubes are used in real production and display work.
Three examples of how our molded tubes are used: display mortars, cake production lines, and export packing.
A display crew firing 1.75″ shells replaced paper mortars with moulded tubes — no swelling in damp storage, no shells stuck in the bore, and the same racks still in service the next season.
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When a cake factory moved to automated tube loading, glued paper tubes kept jamming the jig. Molded tubes held their round bore to tolerance and the reject rate on the line dropped away.
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Sea freight, mixed SKUs, customs paperwork. How a 40′HQ container of molded tubes is packed, palletised and documented so the tubes arrive round, clean and dry.
Read moreCase 01 · Display & shell mortars
Outdoor display crews store mortars in trailers and containers between shows. Paper and glued-fibre tubes take on moisture, the bore goes slightly oval and shells start to stick on the way out. Once a tube has swollen it is scrap, and racks have to be rebuilt mid-season — the worst possible time.
Press-moulded tubes with a raised base in the GB standard pattern. Because the bore comes off a steel tool, every tube in the carton measures the same, wall thickness is uniform around the circumference, and there is no glue line or seam to fail. The moulded material deforms rather than shattering, which is exactly the behaviour you want next to a crew.
Bore size is repeatable from carton to carton, so the same rack holds the same fit all season. Tubes come out of damp storage still round, shells drop in and lift cleanly, and the racks go back out the following year instead of being rebuilt. Customers typically re-use molded tubes for several seasons when they are stored dry and inspected before each show.
| Typical molded tube | Bore | Length | Base | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell mortar | 45 mm (1.75″) | 305 mm (12″) | Raised base, GB pattern | Consumer artillery shells |
| Display mortar | 76 / 102 mm (3″ / 4″) | 450 / 550 mm | Thick base, drilled for firing | Professional display shells |
| Cake / battery tube | 20 / 25 / 30 mm | 100–200 mm | Flat or raised base | Cakes, roman candles, mines |
Case 02 · Cake & battery production
On a consumer cake line, tubes are fed into a loading jig and charged one after another. Glued paper tubes are the weak point: they arrive slightly out of round, the seam swells in humid factory air, and a tube that is 1 mm oversize stops the jig. Every stoppage is paid for in downtime and in rejected cakes.
Molded tubes with a controlled bore tolerance, cleanly trimmed ends and no burrs — the things that actually matter to a machine, not to a brochure. Length is held consistent across the batch so the finished cake sits square, and the tubes are packed in five-ply cartons so they arrive as they left the tool, not as an oval.
Loading runs continuously instead of stopping to pull stuck tubes, and cakes come off the line with the tubes still aligned and the top surface flat. Because the tube does not absorb moisture, the finished product also holds its shape in storage rather than swelling against the label. That is the difference between a tube that is bought on price and a tube that is bought on yield.
| What the machine needs | What molded tubes give |
|---|---|
| Repeatable inner diameter | Bore from a steel tool, checked batch by batch |
| Square, burr-free ends | Trimmed in-line, ends sit flat in the jig |
| Consistent length | Held across the run so cakes build square |
| No moisture pickup | The moulded material does not absorb water or delaminate |
| Arrives undamaged | Five-ply cartons, palletised for the line |
Case 03 · Export packing & logistics
An importer buying a mixed container wants three things at once: the tubes to arrive straight and clean, the paperwork to clear customs without a phone call, and a price they can quote from internally. Tubes that arrive bowed have to be re-worked, and a missing document can hold a container at port.
Cartons sized to the tube so nothing rattles or bows, inner protection against humidity, and a loading plan that keeps the container full without crushing the bottom layers. Alongside the goods we prepare the commercial invoice, packing list and material safety data for the shipment, and we confirm the transport classification with the importer before the container is sealed.
Tubes are unpacked straight from the carton to the rack — no straightening, no re-packing, no arguing with a freight forwarder. Minimum order is 1,000 pieces per size, mixed sizes can travel in one container, and quotations usually go back within 24 hours so the importer can price the job while it is still live.
| Export support | What you get |
|---|---|
| Packing | Tube-sized five-ply cartons, humidity liner, palletised or loose-loaded |
| Loading plan | Mixed-SKU container plan, weight spread across the floor |
| Documents | Invoice, packing list, material safety data, transport classification confirmed |
| Order terms | MOQ 1,000 pcs per size · mixed sizes accepted · quote usually within 24 hours |
| Origin | Factory direct, Jiangxi, China |
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