General information about Roman Candles
Calibre: roman candles generally range from 1/2″ to 2″.
Altitude: smaller roman candles will reach heights of approximately 60ft, while larger types can reach in excess of 150ft.
General info: roman candles are usually fired in multiples and/or from numerous positions across the “firing site”.Roman candles can produce a latticework of coloured stars and effects to create a base for the aerial shells bursting above. Smaller roman candles fire a near continuous stream of small stars and last around 30 seconds, while larger roman candles will generally fire 8 or 10 larger shots over 25-30 seconds.
Types of Roman Candles
Dragon Bundle: one of the smallest and simplest of the roman candle family, but by far the most widely used as they are available in a vast range of colours and effects. Many dragon varieties suit even the smallest and most noise-sensitive venues. Dragons typically comprise a bundle of 7 tubes of 12mm or 14mm calibre, each tube containing 8 shots, giving a total of 56 shots. Dragon bundles last for 25 seconds and will be found in most displays.
Comet candle: put simply, a comet is a star with a trailing tail. The star can be a different colour to the tail, and the tail can be plain, strobing or crackling. There is no secondary burst with a comet candle.
Bombette Candle: bombette candles fire mini shells, often with a tail. These are great for introducing aerial explosions into a display, especially if the venue is too small to fire shells.
Mine candle: These produce a series of growing columns of stars from ground level upwards. These can be coloured stars, willow stars, or contain other effects such as tourbillions.
Mine and comet candle: A combination of candle types with a column of stars at lower level through which fires a sparkling comet in a complementing or contrasting colour.
Noise effect candle: typically these products are larger calibre and reserved for the larger displays. They can fire blasts of screechers, hummers or reports (bangs), sometimes with coloured stars too.
