# Exploding dye packs are referenced in crime movies and here on SDMB **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-dye-packs-are-referenced-in-crime-movies-and-here-on-sdmb/752231 "2016-04-15T00:08:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-dye-packs-are-referenced-in-crime-movies-and-here-on-sdmb/752231/1 "2016-04-15T00:08:58Z")
Do banks really use exploding dye packs? If they get their money back how do they remove the dye pack? Completely unrelated mention here on this board.[exploding dye pack like banks use.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=790239) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-dye-packs-are-referenced-in-crime-movies-and-here-on-sdmb/752231/2 "2016-04-15T00:14:23Z")
I would assume that the bank could simply send the dye-stained money back to the Treasury to be replaced and destroyed, same as they would with worn out or torn bills. That’s not an option open to most bank robbers. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-dye-packs-are-referenced-in-crime-movies-and-here-on-sdmb/752231/3 "2016-04-15T01:04:08Z")
Short wiki article [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye_pack). > [@](#): > > A dye pack is a radio-controlled incendiary device used by some banks to foil a bank robbery by causing stolen cash to be permanently marked with dye shortly after a robbery. > > In most cases, a dye pack is placed in a hollowed-out space within a stack of banknotes, usually $10 or $20 bills. This stack of bills looks and feels similar to a real one, with technology allowing for the manufacturing of flexible dye packs which are difficult to detect by handling the stack.[1] > > When the marked stack of bills is not used, it is stored next to a magnetic plate near a bank cashier, in standby or safe mode, ready to be handed over to a potential robber by a bank employee. When it is removed from the magnetic plate, the pack is armed, and once it leaves the building and passes through the door frame, a radio transmitter located at the door will trigger a timer (typically 10 seconds), after which the dye pack will explode and release an aerosol (usually of Disperse Red 9) and sometimes tear gas, intended to destroy the stolen money and mark the robber’s body with a bright stain. The chemical reaction causing the explosion of the pack and the release of the dye creates high temperatures of about 200 °C (392 °F) which further discourages a criminal from touching the pack or removing it from the bag or getaway vehicle.[1] Dye packs are used in over 75% of banks in America.[1] ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-dye-packs-are-referenced-in-crime-movies-and-here-on-sdmb/752231/4 "2016-04-15T15:19:32Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I would assume that the bank could simply send the dye-stained money back to the Treasury to be replaced and destroyed, same as they would with worn out or torn bills. That’s not an option open to most bank robbers. Actually, it’s the [Bureau of Printing and Engraving](https://www.frbservices.org/operations/currency/mutilated_currency_and_coin.html)that replaces mutilated currency and coins and the process is available to anyone. It just may not be wise for an individual to submit currency stained with red dye. It could cause some very nice gentlemen in suits to pay the sender a visit… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-dye-packs-are-referenced-in-crime-movies-and-here-on-sdmb/752231/5 "2016-04-15T16:49:51Z")
From time to time I’ve gotten a bill with a splotch along one side. The color is an especially obnoxious pink. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-dye-packs-are-referenced-in-crime-movies-and-here-on-sdmb/752231/6 "2016-04-15T17:10:02Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-VZm34vTI1M/hqdefault.jpg "Bank Robbers VS Exploded Dye Packs:Crime Fail") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VZm34vTI1M)