Table 5-1. CHARACTERISTICS OF US DEMOLITIONS EXPLOSIVES NAME APPLICATIONS DETONATION VELOCITY RE FACTOR* FUME TOXICITY WATER RESISTANCE MIN/ SEC FT/ SEC Ammonium nitrate Cratering charge 2,700 8.800 0.42 Dangerous Poor PETN Det cord blasting caps demolition charges 8,300 27,200 1.66 Slightly dangerous Excellent RDX Blasting caps composition explosive 8,350 27,400 1.60 Dangerous Excellent Trinitrotoluene (TNT) Demolition charge composition explosive 6,900 22,600 1.00 Dangerous Excellent Tetryl Booster charge composition explosive 7,100 23,300 1.25 Dangerous Excellent Nitroglycerin Commercial dynamite 7,700 25,200 1.50 Dangerous Good Black powder Time fuse 400 1,300 0.55 Dangerous Poor Amatol 80 / 20 Bursting charge 4,900 16,000 1.17 Dangerous Poor Composition A3 Booster charge bursting charge 8,100 26,500 --- Dangerous Good Composition B Bursting charge 7,800 25,600 1.35 Dangerous Excellent Composition C4 (M112) Cutting and breaching charges 8.040 26,400 1.34 Slightly dangerous Excellent Composition H6 Cratering charge 7,190 23,600 1.33 Dangerous Excellent Tetrytol 75 / 25 Demolition charge 7,000 23,000 1.20 Dangerous Excellent Pentolite 50 / 50 Booster and bursting charges 7,450 24,400 --- Dangerous Excellent M1 Dynamite Demolition charge 6,100 20,000 0.92 Dangerous Fair Det cord Priming demolition charge 6,100 to 7,300 20,000 to 24,000 --- Slightly dangerous Excellent Sheet explosive M118 and M186 Cutting charge 7,300 24,000 1.14 Dangerous Excellent Bangalore torpedo M1A2 Demolition charge 7,800 25,600 1.17 Dangerous Excellent Shaped charges M2A3, M2A4, and M3A1 Cutting charge 7,800 25,600 1.17 Dangerous Excellent * TNT = 1.00 relative effectiveness