![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Streichholz.jpg/640px-Streichholz.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Match
Device for lighting fires / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Match (disambiguation).
"Matchstick" redirects here. For other uses, see Matchstick (disambiguation).
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface.[1] Wooden matches are packaged in matchboxes, and paper matches are partially cut into rows and stapled into matchbooks. The coated end of a match, known as the match "head", consists of a bead of active ingredients and binder, often colored for easier inspection. There are two main types of matches: safety matches, which can be struck only against a specially prepared surface, and strike-anywhere matches, for which any suitably frictional surface can be used.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Streichholz.jpg/640px-Streichholz.jpg)