Cordite
Cordita
- Date
- 1889 · confidence high
- Place
- London, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- James Dewar and Frederick Abel
- Field
- Conflict
What it is
A family of smokeless propellants made by combining nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine with petroleum jelly, developed in Britain to replace black powder as a military firearm propellant.
Cordite shortages in the First World War led to the creation of the HM Factory at Gretna, which produced about 800 tons a week.
What it led to
- Standard ammunition for the British .303 rifle from 1891
- Use in artillery, tank and naval guns