Carbide shooting is part of Dutch heritage, especially in the southern, northern and eastern parts of the country. It is even listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage, alongside festivities such as Sinterklaas, the Frisian sport of fierljeppen, King’s Day and the Easter bonfire in Espelo. The aim of carbide shooting is to create the loudest possible bang. How? By finding the right balance of carbide, water and air. This makes it a sport of skill and variation, striving for the perfect—and loudest—blast to outdo the competition.
The strength of the bang depends on the time allowed for gas formation.
How does carbide shooting actually work?
Professor Nieck Benes knows the tradition well and clearly explains what happens inside the milk churn and how we go from carbide to bang. “When carbide shooting, you place some carbide in a milk churn with a small layer of water. The churn is then sealed with a ball, or sometimes a plastic bag. The chemistry behind carbide shooting is fairly simple: the calcium carbide reacts with water. This produces calcium hydroxide and, more importantly, the highly flammable gas acetylene. By waiting just long enough, the right ratio of acetylene to oxygen forms inside the churn. Then, a flame is held to a small hole in the churn, triggering an explosion that sends the ball flying for metres. The strength of the bang depends on the time allowed for gas formation.”
And that bang is no joke, warns medical specialist Christa Fuller: “A carbide blast easily reaches 120 decibels, so wearing ear protection is strongly recommended.”
Safe blasts
To ensure safe bangs, agreements have been made and guidelines drawn up at the initiative of the Burns Centre at Martini Hospital Groningen, the Drenthe Fire Service and the Carbide Shooting Foundation Drenthe. The reason for an earlier campaign promoting safe carbide shooting was a noticeable increase in people suffering severe burns as a result of carbide shooting in 2014. That was the first year in which fireworks could no longer be set off during the day, following an amendment to the Fireworks Decree.
Is carbide shooting safer than fireworks?
From 2026, fireworks will be banned in the Netherlands. Does that make carbide shooting a good and safer alternative? The answer: it depends. The risks differ. Fireworks, for example, produce flying sparks, which often cause burns and eye injuries. Carbide shooting comes with other dangers, such as high-speed projectiles (a ball) with considerable force. When mistakes occur during carbide shooting, the consequences are often immediate and severe.
When properly organised, the risk decreases, similar to fireworks. Keep a safe distance, use ear and eye protection, and stay sober. In short: there is no clear answer to whether carbide shooting is “safer” or “less safe” than fireworks. In both cases, it strongly depends on how it is carried out.
What is carbide used for?
Carbide, or calcium carbide (CaC₂), is an inorganic compound produced by reacting calcium oxide and carbon at high temperatures. When water is added, the carbide bond breaks down, forming calcium hydroxide and ethyne (acetylene), a flammable, energy-rich gas. Carbide lamps, in which water slowly dripped onto carbide, produced a strikingly bright white light. They were popular among miners, welders, cyclists and motorists, and became indispensable during the Second World War due to shortages of electric light. Although carbide lamps virtually disappeared after 1945 with the rise of electric lighting and modern gas supplies, calcium carbide remains an important substance in industries such as steel production.
Want to understand the bang? Come study at UT!
Fascinated by what happens inside that milk churn? In the Bachelor’s in Chemical Science & Engineering, you’ll learn the physics and chemistry behind it. Such as gas formation, explosive combustion and explosion limits. You will learn to translate those insights into industrial applications. You’ll work in modern labs on cases involving process safety, sensor technology, cleaner fuels and CO₂ reduction, always with a focus on sustainability and data-driven optimisation.
This way, you’ll become an engineer who designs materials and processes that are better, cleaner and safer. Whether it’s a Twente tradition or a high-tech factory: you’ll understand the bang - and prevent it where necessary!
