How pocket lighters are made
A lighter's "flint" is a rare-earth alloy whose shavings catch fire in plain air.
- stations
- 8
- things upstream
- 77
- raw sources
- 25
- steps from the ground
- 11
The short version
Inside a disposable lighter, a hardened steel wheel scrapes a rod of ferrocerium, and the hot shavings light gas escaping from a valve. To build one, factories mold a fuel tank from acetal plastic, fit a brass jet, an aluminum valve and steel springs, weld the base on with ultrasound, fill the tank with isobutane, then test every flame.
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Mold the fuel tank
Pellets of acetal resin, sold as Delrin, are melted and injected into steel molds to form the body and base. Acetal shrugs off fuel and survives being dropped, which matters for a tank that holds pressurized gas in a pocket.
about 210 °C to mold
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Shape the steel hardware
Serrated, hardened steel wire becomes the spark wheel. Thin steel is formed into the hood that covers the wheel and the guard that shields the flame.
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Fit the valve and jet
An aluminum valve, a brass jet and small springs of low-alloy steel drop into the body. The valve opens only while the thumb lever is held down, and the jet meters gas to the flame.
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Weld the base on
An ultrasonic welder buzzes the plastic body and base together until their surfaces melt into one sealed reservoir. No glue is used.
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Charge it with gas
Automated machines push liquefied isobutane into the reservoir and then seal the fill hole with a small ball. The gas stays liquid under its own pressure until the valve lets some out.
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Seat the flint and wheel
A spring presses a short rod of ferrocerium up against the spark wheel, and the steel hood snaps over both. Rolling the wheel tears hot particles off the rod, and cerium ignites at only 150 to 180 °C.
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Test every flame
Each unit is struck to check that it lights, that the flame holds a steady height, and that the tank does not leak. Safety standards also require a deliberate push to light it, such as a lever force of at least 15 newtons.
15 N minimum actuating force
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Print and box
Logos and designs are printed onto the body before the finished units go into trays, boxes or blister packs.
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Worth repeating
- Lighter "flint" is ferrocerium, an alloy of iron and rare-earth metals invented by Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1903.
- Sparks thrown off a ferrocerium rod can reach 3,315 °C.
- BIC says it has sold over 30 billion lighters, and Clipper, the runner-up, makes around 450 million a year.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and pocket lighter starts as these 25 raw sources.
Everything it is made of See it on the map
Open the whole family tree
Keep walking
Sources
- Lighter
- Ferrocerium
- BIC Lighter: Design Life-Cycle
- Lighter Production Process
- Lighter production equipment and its manufacturing process
- Bic lighter
- Clipper (lighter)
Cite this page: "How pocket lighters are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/pocket-lighter