Reading a carton label
Case count, net explosive weight, burn time and safe distance, explained for shop staff.
How the Sivakasi season works
Why crackers are made from April to October, and why June booking matters.
Sivakasi makes crackers when the weather allows it. From April the heat and dry wind off the black soil plains dry a tray of stars in a single day, and the season runs until the first rains of the northeast monsoon in October.
Most factories, ours included, plan production around bookings. When a dealer books 50 cases of flower pots in June, we know how much clay, paper and chemical to buy and how many people to place on that line. Late orders are made from whatever capacity is left.
Booking early also fixes your price. Raw material costs usually rise through the summer, but we hold the June rate until dispatch for every booking with an advance.
Dispatch begins in August with the southern states and runs until about 15 October. After that, lorries are scarce and transport offices are full, so any dealer who can take stock in September usually sells more and pays less in freight.
