What are airliners made of?
Airliners take 10 things directly, among them aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, epoxy, steel and jet engine. Trace them back and you pass 59 made things on the way to 31 raw materials.
How airliners are made See it on the map
What goes straight in
- Aluminumat Shape the metal skin and frames
- Titaniumat Shape the metal skin and frames
- Carbon fiberat Lay up the composite sections
- Epoxyat Lay up the composite sections
- Steelat Forge the landing gear
- Jet engineat Hang the engines
- Copper wireat Wire and fit the cabin
- Printed circuit boardat Wire and fit the cabin
- Paintat Paint the livery
- Jet fuelat Test, then fly
From the ground: 31 raw materials
- Crude oil through jet fuel
- Coal through aluminum
- Titanium ore through titanium
- Air through carbon fiber
- Water through paint
- Bauxite through aluminum, alumina
- Rock salt through epoxy, chlorine
- Dolomite through steel, magnesium
- Natural gas through carbon fiber, ammonia
- Iron ore through steel, manganese
- Limestone through steel, quicklime
- Manganese ore through steel, manganese
- Nickel ore through jet engine, nickel
- Copper ore through printed circuit board, copper
- Silica sand through printed circuit board, fiberglass
- Sulfur through paint, pigment
- Quartz through jet engine, turbine blade, ceramic
- Timber through steel, magnesium, metallurgical silicon
- Clay through jet engine, turbine blade, ceramic
- Kaolin through jet engine, turbine blade, ceramic
- Feldspar through jet engine, turbine blade, ceramic
- Cobalt ore through jet engine, turbine blade, cobalt
- Chromite through jet engine, turbine blade, chromium
- Trona through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash
- Tin ore through printed circuit board, solder, tin
- Lead ore through printed circuit board, solder, silver
- Silver ore through printed circuit board, solder, silver
- Zinc ore through printed circuit board, solder, silver
- Corn through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide
- Sugarcane through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
- Sugar beet through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
Made along the way: 49 things
Metals 15
Chemicals and fuels 25
Petroleum cokeChlorineArgonPropyleneAmmoniaPhenolAcetoneCaustic sodaOxygen gasQuicklimeTitanium dioxidePigmentHydrogenSulfuric acidNaphthaBenzenePropaneParaffin waxSoda ashCarbon blackMethanolCharcoalTolueneCarbon dioxideFormaldehyde