Another important item is the brown paper on which the match head is rubbed. A match that has a wooden shaft, a red head, and a brown paper is called a safety match.
First of all, the red head is made of a mixture of six different chemicals. These are an oxidizing agent, a combustible agent, a regulating agent, an agglutinating agent, a coloring agent, and a moisture-proofing agent.
In simple terms, they are: agents for lighting a match, agents to prevent the match from falling apart, agents for coloring, and agents to prevent the match from being damp.
Among these, what is important for a match to catch fire is a medicine that has the property of being easily flammable. In matches, sulfur and pine resin are used for these chemicals.
Next, the brown paper is made of phosphorus, which is used to set things on fire. When the red part of the head and the brown paper are rubbed together strongly, heat is generated. This heat is what ignites the fire.
By the way, the old matches did not have the brown paper and would light no matter where you rubbed them. This seems more convenient, but it is too dangerous. So now, most countries in the world use these safety matches.