Tar.fyi is an independent information site about tar, pitch, resinous materials, traditional coatings, historic materials, and related subjects. It is operated by the Materials Journalism Foundation, a small UK unincorporated association focused on public-interest material knowledge.
We welcome appropriate press, media, research, and publishing enquiries connected with tar, pitch, resin, historic coatings, material culture, craft traditions, and the public understanding of overlooked materials.
Tar.fyi may be useful for journalists, writers, editors, researchers, students, podcast producers, documentary researchers, heritage organisations, and others looking for clear background information on a subject that is often scattered across technical, historical, industrial, and craft sources.
We can usually help with general background, definitions, terminology, historical context, and pointers towards the wider subject. Tar.fyi does not provide medical, legal, engineering, construction, conservation, chemical safety, environmental compliance, or professional advice. We also cannot certify whether a specific product, method, building treatment, restoration approach, or material use is safe or suitable.
For media enquiries, please contact:
contact@tar.fyi
Please include your name, organisation, deadline, topic, and the kind of information you are looking for. If you are working to a short deadline, please make that clear in the subject line. We cannot guarantee that we will respond in your expected timeframe.
Journalists and researchers are welcome to quote extracts from tar.fyi articles with proper attribution and a link to the relevant page.
Suggested attribution:
Tar.fyi, operated by the Materials Journalism Foundation
Short description:
Tar.fyi is an independent information site about tar, pitch, resinous materials, traditional coatings, and related material culture.
Long description:
Tar.fyi is an independent reference archive operated by the Materials Journalism Foundation. It publishes clear, readable information about tar, pitch, resinous materials, traditional coatings, historic uses, craft contexts, and related substances. The site exists to make overlooked material knowledge easier to find, understand, and discuss.
Tar.fyi is built as a focused reference site rather than a news outlet. We do not publish breaking news, paid product reviews, undisclosed sponsored content, or behavioural advertising. If this changes, relevant pages and policies will be updated.
We are especially interested in media work that treats ordinary materials seriously: the substances behind buildings, ships, roads, tools, crafts, archives, trades, and everyday life. Tar is ancient, industrial, messy, useful, and widely misunderstood. Tar.fyi exists to help make that world clearer.