---
title: "What is a Drum head made of?"
description: "A polyester film tucked into an aluminium hoop with epoxy — plastic replaced calfskin in the 1950s. Every component, the material it uses, and the constraint that ma"
url: https://atoneplace.net/made-of/drum-head/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What is a Drum head made of?

**What is a Drum head made of?: A polyester film tucked into an aluminium hoop with epoxy — plastic replaced calfskin in the 1950s.**

Calfskin heads went out in the 1950s for a reason every drummer who has used them understands: they absorb humidity, so a kit tuned in a dry room goes slack and dead on a damp stage, and it has to be retuned constantly. Mylar heads, introduced by Remo and Evans in that decade, hold their tune through weather and are identical from one to the next, which is what made consistent recorded drum sound possible. Thickness is quoted in mils, thousandths of an inch, and the choice is a straightforward trade: thin heads are sensitive and bright and dent easily, thick ones are durable and darker and need more force.

## Component by component

*Every material is a choice, and the third column is the constraint that drove it.*

| Part | Material | Why that material |
| --- | --- | --- |
| film | polyethylene terephthalate (Mylar) film, typically 7-12 mil thick | It is dimensionally stable, indifferent to humidity, and consistent from head to head in a way animal skin never was. |
| hoop | an aluminium channel around the edge | The film is tucked into the channel and locked with epoxy, which lets the head be tensioned to high loads without tearing at the edge. |
| plies and damping | one or two layers, sometimes with an oil-filled ring or a dot in the centre | A second ply and a damping ring kill the high overtones, which is why two-ply heads sound fat and controlled and single-ply heads sing. |
| coating | a sprayed textured white coating | It damps slightly and, critically, gives brushes a surface to sweep against — a clear head is nearly silent under a brush. |

## Other musical instruments objects

- [Guitar string](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/guitar-string/) — A high-carbon steel core with a wrap of nickel or bronze — or, on a classical guitar, nylon.
- [Piano key](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/piano-key/) — A spruce or basswood lever with an acrylic top and a plastic sharp — ivory has been out of use for decades.
- [Violin bow](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/violin-bow/) — A pernambuco or carbon fibre stick strung with horsehair, which grips the string only because of rosin.

## Common questions

### What is a Drum head made of?

A polyester film tucked into an aluminium hoop with epoxy — plastic replaced calfskin in the 1950s.

### What is the film of a Drum head made of?

Polyethylene terephthalate (Mylar) film, typically 7-12 mil thick. It is dimensionally stable, indifferent to humidity, and consistent from head to head in a way animal skin never was.

### What is the hoop of a Drum head made of?

An aluminium channel around the edge. The film is tucked into the channel and locked with epoxy, which lets the head be tensioned to high loads without tearing at the edge.

## Related pages

- [Guitar string](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/guitar-string/)
- [Piano key](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/piano-key/)
- [Violin bow](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/violin-bow/)
- [Pencil](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/pencil/)
- [Tennis ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/tennis-ball/)
- [Banknote](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/banknote/)
- [Golf ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/golf-ball/)
- [Paper](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/paper/)
- [Glass](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/glass/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)