Plastic explosives

Plastic explosives are explosives in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout Tactics and a cut content weapon in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.

Background
Plastic explosives is a generic term referring to a brick of high explosive material which can be hand-molded into any shape. Primarily used by engineers, both civilian and military, for applications requiring precision and measured blasting, after the nuclear holocaust various brands of plastic explosives became used as tools and weapons. They are a fairly rare sight, at least compared to good old dynamite, its brother also invented by Alfred Nobel in the 19th century.

Plastique


The primary commercial brand of plastic explosives encountered in the wasteland is the white Cordex, fitted with an electrical detonator and a timer. 

C-4


Another military variant of plastic explosives, Composition C-4 was the primary type of explosives used by the United States Army. 91% RDX ("Research Department Explosive", an explosive nitroamine), mixed with 5.3% dioctyl sebacate (DOS) or dioctyl adipate (DOA) as the plasticizer, 2.1% polyisobutylene (PIB, a synthetic rubber) as the binder, and 1.6% of a mineral oil results in a stable plastic explosive that won't detonate if dropped, exposed to fire, or shot. Detonation can only be initiated by a combination of extreme heat and a shockwave, such as when a detonator inserted into it is fired. The most common form of C-4 found in the wastes as the M112 1.25 lbs demolition block, bound in olive protective film and provided with a remote detonator.