Cheddites were a class of explosive materials originally manufactured in the town of Chedde in Savoy, France in the early twentieth century. Closely related to Sprengel explosives, cheddites consisted of a high proportion of inorganic chlorates mixed with nitroaromatics (e.g. nitrobenzene or dinitrotoluene ) plus a little paraffin or castor oil as a moderant for the chlorate. Several different types were made, and they were principally used in quarrying.
Since the 1970s, cheddite has also been the commercial name for an explosive compound used as a primer for shotgun cartridges. It contains 90% potassium chlorate, 7% paraffin, 3% petroleum jelly, and traces of carbon black.
