Aluminum vs Carbon Fiber in Flow Props

With a few exceptions (mostly some LED props), almost every stick-based flow prop is built using either carbon fiber or aluminum tubing.

Carbon fiber is often considered the premium option because of its incredible strength-to-weight ratio and rigidity. That said, high-quality aluminum, especially 7075, is an excellent choice for most flow props and is actually the better option in some applications.

Let’s break down the pros and cons of each. We also have a video linked below if that’s your preferred way to learn:

• Carbon Fiber
• Aluminum

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Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber is made from thousands of tiny carbon strands bonded together with epoxy resin. The result is an incredibly strong and lightweight material that’s used everywhere from aerospace to high-performance sporting equipment.

Most carbon fiber tubing used in flow arts is 3K twill weave, 2×2 roll-wrapped tubing with wall thicknesses between 1.5mm and 2mm. We generally don’t recommend anything thinner than 1.5mm, as it’s much easier to crack from repeated drops or impacts.

Strength, Weight & Feel

Carbon fiber’s biggest advantage isn’t just its weight. It’s how rigid it feels.

Compared to aluminum, carbon fiber has no flex, making props feel more responsive. If it eventually fails from repeated abuse, it will usually crack or shatter rather than bend. While this isn’t common, repeated drops onto hard flooring like concrete can eventually damage any carbon fiber prop.

Although carbon fiber is lighter than aluminum pound for pound, the difference isn’t always as dramatic as people expect. Many carbon fiber props might use 2mm walls while most aluminum tubing falls between roughly 1.5mm and 1.65mm. Those thicker walls reduce much of the weight savings, with the tradeoff being a much stiffer prop.

When Carbon Fiber Makes Sense

Carbon fiber really shines in longer props where rigidity is important, and this is why it’s preferred by most intermediate/advanced contact and dragon staff artists.

Contact staffs, dragon staffs, and contact swords (non-fire) all benefit from tubing that stays perfectly straight over time. Carbon fiber is also highly recommended for long props using tubing smaller than 19mm (3/4”), such as many 16mm contact staffs, where aluminum becomes noticeably more flexible.

For many other props, though, carbon fiber is honestly a bit of overkill. Devil sticks, leviwands, fire swords, tech doubles, and many other shorter props are already very difficult to bend because of their shorter length. In these cases, high-quality aluminum usually performs just as well.

Fire Props

Carbon fiber isn’t fireproof.

Most carbon fiber fire props require aluminum heat shields to protect the epoxy from excessive heat. As a general rule, these heat shields are about twice the length of the wick they’re protecting.

Because of this, some of the weight savings of carbon fiber disappear once the heat shields are installed. In some cases, a carbon fiber fire prop can even weigh slightly more than its aluminum counterpart.

Dragon staffs are a little different. Since the fire doesn’t contact the shaft directly, removable hub systems generally don’t require aluminum heat shields. Some performers still add silicone tubing or silicone self-fusing tape near the hubs for additional heat protection, but under normal use this isn’t required. Instead, carbon fiber dragon staffs should use plugs or end caps to prevent the hubs from crushing the tubing.

Photography Note: If you like posing with lit fire props in static positions during photoshoots, we generally recommend 7075 aluminum whenever possible. Aluminum dissipates heat much better, whereas prolonged heat can potentially damage carbon fiber. If you’re using a carbon fiber dragon staff, adding silicone tubing or silicone self-fusing tape near the hubs can provide an extra layer of heat protection during extended poses.

Aluminum

Aluminum is the most common tubing material used throughout the flow arts because it’s affordable, widely available, and comes in several different alloys.

The two alloys you’ll see most often are:

• 6061
• 7075

Most flow props also use T6 temper, which provides much greater strength than softer tempers.

6061

6061 is the most common budget-friendly aluminum used for flow props. It’s widely available around the world and is often the easiest material for manufacturers to source.

Because it isn’t nearly as strong as 7075, manufacturers generally need to use thicker walls to prevent bending. This also makes it the heaviest of the common tubing options.

6061 still works well for many shorter props where bending isn’t a major concern, such as fire eating torches, fire breathing torches, devil sticks, tech doubles, and many LED props.

For longer staffs, especially contact staffs, we generally don’t recommend 6061 because it’s much easier to bend over time.

7075

7075 is about twice as strong as 6061, making it one of the best aluminum alloys available for flow props.

Because of its added strength, manufacturers can often use wall thicknesses similar to carbon fiber while maintaining excellent durability.

For most flow props, 7075 is the aluminum we recommend whenever possible.

The one exception is very long staffs using tubing under 19mm (3/4”), where carbon fiber is still noticeably more rigid.

7075 is also generally the better choice for fire props that require long heat shields, such as many fire swords. In these cases, the extra aluminum needed to protect carbon fiber often outweighs any benefit of using carbon fiber in the first place.

Aluminum should always be used for fire eating torches. Carbon fiber contains epoxy resin, and heating that epoxy can produce fumes that make vapor pulls more hazardous. Since modern fire eating relies heavily on drawing vapor through the torch, carbon fiber should be avoided altogether.

Note: Collapsible props use much shorter sections of tubing, making each section naturally harder to bend. Because of this, collapsible aluminum props perform extremely well, and the biggest practical advantage of carbon fiber is usually just a slight reduction in weight.

Conclusion

There’s no universal “best” material for every flow prop.

Carbon fiber excels when maximum rigidity is important, while 7075 aluminum is more than capable for the majority of flow props and is sometimes even the better choice for fire applications.