FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a firing rack?
-A firing rack (aka mortar rack) is a safety accessory at the core of it. A tool that allows you to load multiple 1.4G consumer firework aerial display shells into HDPE DR11 tubes, showing everyone around you that you take safety and your display seriously. A mortar rack also allows you to fuse multiple display shells together, making life a whole lot easier for you when you're firing multiple shots.
2. What is HDPE?
-Let’s nerd out a little bit. Our tubes are made out of a plastic material called HDPE DR11 (meaning High-Density Polyethylene and the outer diameter of the tube is 11 times its minimum wall thickness). It is specifically designed for high pressure situations while also being designed to implode rather than shatter in the event there’s a product malfunction making it perfect for fireworks.
3. What makes HDPE safer than what comes with my fireworks?
-Your shells either come with cardboard or fiberglass tubes. Hardly ever will you see a company include a HDPE tube. Although these have been deemed safe by the powers that be, they have a high fail rate and they are not durable for long term use. And when they fail? They shatter, creating shrapnel. HDPE is designed to implode in the event the firework is loaded incorrectly or has a failure inside the tube.
Every mortar used should be plugged.
4. How long will a HDPE mortar and your racks last?
-HDPE will always outlast wood. That's just a fact. But with proper care and usage, a HDPE tube can and should last you a lifetime. With that being said, I don't have a proper test on how long our racks will last, but the same should apply. I'm running on year 8 of the first racks I ever built long before this company was even a thought. Always inspect your racks and mortars before using.
5. Okay, that's cool and all... but what kind of shells can I shoot?
-That's a fair question with an easy answer. We specifically focus our attention to detail based around consumer display shells. The inner dimension of a DR11 mortar is 1.91" meaning all consumer display shells will fit. This includes canister shells and ball shells. However, our racks are not designed for festival shells or balls. This doesn't mean they wont shoot out of the mortar, it just means we can not recommend it due to safety concerns.
6. What materials are Liberty Firing Racks made out of?
-Our mortar racks are designed and hand built tough. They are made out of premium pine, outdoor rated deck screws, staples, and titebond 3.
7. Do the tubes need to be spaced?
-You couldn’t go wrong spacing tubes but it really isn’t necessary. The tubes are designed to implode in the event of failure, meaning they expand and kind of "shred" rather than explode into a million pieces at the point of impact. This could potentially cause damage to other tubes, but typically tends to isolate the incident to the single tube, even if they aren’t spaced out.
8. Can I buy in bulk?
-Please email us at libertyfiringracks@gmail.com to inquire about bulk orders before ordering. We have been busy since starting operations in August 2025 but we are not currently offering wholesale. This is a venture we’ll look forward to offering in the future.
9. Shipping is expensive, why? Can I pick up in person?
-We personally would prefer you pick up in person when it comes down to it. We love meeting our customers, putting faces to names, talking fireworks, and making sure you understand the ins and outs of mortar racks. Plus shipping can be ridiculous, we get it. Believe it or not, the prices you see to ship are discounted. These racks weigh up to 60+ pounds.
Pickup is at my family owned firework retail location in Huntington, Indiana: Hometown Fireworks.
10. Why does my shipping jump so high when I add multiple of the same rack to my order?
-I wish I had a better answer for you but in short: these racks are heavy, and because of that we ship every rack individually.
For some reason, shopify will allow me to set every item on its own shipping profile. So when adding multiple different racks to your order, you'll see separated shipping fees. This is the cheapest way for you. But... when adding two or more of the same racks, it clumps them into one box. Theres nothing I can do about that. Some of the lighter racks aren't affected as much and can actually be shipped together. But when you take two 60 pound racks and turn it into one 120 pound package... things go haywire. I know its inconvenient, but to solve this I recommend making multiple transactions.
11. Do you offer personal delivery instead of shipping?
-Reach out to libertyfiringracks@gmail.com before you buy and we can discuss this further. It may be more viable than shipping, and will be charged on a per mile rate determined at the time of purchase.
12. How long does it take to ship an order?
-It depends on the item. Typically, we have every rack on hand. We have a higher stock of 6/12 shot firing racks because those sell at a higher volume, but all racks are ready to be hand built when ordered if necessary.
13. Do you offer custom racks?
-We sure do, but after 36 shots it becomes incredibly difficult to ship. You can always reach out to us to inquire about a custom rack at libertyfiringracks@gmail.com and we’d love to hear your ideas!
14. Do you make 1.3G professional racks?
-Easy answer, no. We saw a need to focus on the consumer firework level so that’s all we are working with right now.
15. Do you sell the tubes by themselves?
-No, not at this time. Reach out to us if you buy a rack without mortars, we will happily sell you the mortars for it if you find out the mortars you have aren't a perfect fit.
16. You go pretty hard on that disclaimer, do you not trust your firing racks?
-I stand 100% behind the quality of my firing racks. However, my job is to provide you with a tool to fire a product that is inherently dangerous and unpredictable. Liberty Firing Racks does not manufacture, produce, or sell fireworks. You, the customer, assumes all risk and liability because every part of using the firing racks is out of me and Liberty Firing Racks control. From properly setting up the rack and loading correctly to lighting the fuse, we play no part in it.
It is up to you to inspect the rack within 24 hours of delivery and report any quality issues you may have. You must understand that your safety is at the core of why we make these and there will never be a rack that leaves my shop floor without being inspected. Thank you for understanding.