Large (i.e. professionally operated, non-consumer) fireworks of course have a wide variety of configurations, but one that shows up in every show is the percussive explosion that shakes your lungs. No pyrotechnic display about it, just a compact white flash and a sharp, loud “BOOM,” and it’s over.
Question: how much explosive is contained in one of those?
Looks like your “Boom” type of firework is called a “salute”. Its wiki describes the largest, 5 inch diameter salutes as
Finding a cite for this claim is proving difficult. Commercial pyrotechnic contractor sites seem loathe to provide even basic specs for their products w/o registration.
Also, not all flash powder is equal. Sites such as amateurpyro.com’s forums seem to have multiple threads on various pyrotechnics, including salutes. In the thread I glanced at, the participants seemed to get twitchy at dealing with amounts of flash powder over 50g. They were discussing two-inch aerial salutes.
Here’s why,
CMC fnord!