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Trump tariffs' explosive problem: 99% of fireworks made in China
The fireworks industry is fretting that President Trump's tariffs on China will dampen their big blowout next year when Americans celebrate 250 years of independence.
Ninety-nine per cent of consumer fireworks and 90 per cent of professional display fireworks come from China. Even the most impressive July 4 displays — on the National Mall in Washington and Macy's show in New York — are reliant on Chinese imports.
'These large signature events — probably 75 to 80 per cent of the product for those shows is manufactured in China,' said Julie Heckman, director of the American Pyrotechnics Association. 'The rest is going to come from Spain, Italy, France and Japan.'
Heckman said planned displays in Washington and New York may be 'shortened' in 2026 to cut costs if the 30 per cent tariff remains. She said shows in small American towns could be cancelled altogether, especially if tariffs are returned to the 145 per cent rate imposed by Trump earlier this year.
'If the tariffs increase again to triple digits, small towns aren't going to be able to afford a show,' Heckman said.
Fireworks for this year's displays were mostly purchased before Trump's tariffs hit, meaning the shows are largely going ahead as planned.
But Lauren Collar, 43, a second-generation firework seller from Missouri, said her family business had to absorb the costs of tariffs this year and predicts shortages in 2026. 'We prepare an order 12 to 18 months in advance,' she said. 'We're uncertain what to do. You could see smaller communities not even shooting fireworks, because they just can't afford it.'
Collar said it would take US manufacturers 'a decade' to set up pyrotechnics factories like those in China and even then most of the raw material would be imported and subject to tariffs. 'We're hopeful that the administration will understand our special circumstances and maybe we can get a partial exemption,' she said.
Firecrackers were invented in the city of Liuyang, central China, during the Tang dynasty. By stuffing a concoction of charcoal, sulphur and saltpetre into hollowed-out bamboo stalks, Chinese artisans discovered that they could create a satisfying bang. More than 1,200 years later, the province of Hunan still makes fireworks for the rest of the world.
For defenders of Trump's protectionist agenda, the simple answer would be to scrap the 1970s health and safety laws that effectively ended small-scale manufacturing in the US, allowing America's firework industry to compete once again with China.
But even if these protections were weakened, it is not clear whether Americans would be willing to work in factories adopting Chinese health and safety standards. 'Fireworks are all made by hand. Very little automation is involved,' said Heckman. 'You're dealing with explosive compositions that are highly sensitive to heat, high humidity and friction. It's a very dangerous job.'
Fireworks manufacturing is a dangerous business, and accidents are common
YANG HUAFENG/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/VCG VIA GETTY IMAGES
Earlier this month, nine people were killed in Hunan province by an explosion at a fireworks factory and accidents in China are fairly common.
America's pyrotechnicians are hoping Trump's trade war with China will end soon. 'The firework industry is the most patriotic industry in the United States and wants nothing more than to be a significant component of helping America celebrate our 250th anniversary in 2026,' Heckman said. 'But the firework industry needs some relief … in these tariffs to make it happen.'
