Tar.fyi exists to make clear, reliable information about tar, pitch, resinous materials, traditional coatings, and related substances easier to find and understand.
Tar is a small word with a large history. It appears in shipbuilding, forestry, archaeology, road building, roofing, ropework, woodworking, preservation, craft, industry, and everyday language. Yet much of the information about it is scattered, overly technical, outdated, confusing, or mixed with unsafe assumptions. Tar.fyi brings these subjects together in one focused reference archive.
Our mission is to explain neglected materials carefully. We publish articles that answer specific questions, define specific terms, and help readers understand what different materials are, how they have been used, and why they matter.
Tar.fyi is operated by the Materials Journalism Foundation. The site is informational and educational. It does not provide medical, legal, engineering, construction, conservation, chemical safety, or professional advice. Where a subject involves practical risk, modern products, buildings, fire, chemicals, health, animals, or the environment, readers should consult appropriate professional guidance, product instructions, safety data sheets, and relevant rules.
Core Values
Clarity
We write for people who want to understand a subject without fighting through jargon. Tar.fyi aims to make material knowledge readable, direct, and well organised.
Accuracy
We aim to publish factual information and to distinguish between what is known, what is historical, what is traditional, and what may vary by context. Where errors are found, we aim to correct them.
Specificity
We believe useful information often comes from answering narrow questions well. Tar.fyi focuses on specific materials, terms, behaviours, uses, and distinctions rather than vague general summaries.
Proportion
Tar-related subjects can involve history, chemistry, craft, trade, and safety. We try to avoid exaggeration, fearmongering, romanticising the past, or presenting historical practices as modern instructions.
Material literacy
Materials shape human life. Tar, pitch, resin, bitumen, wood, fibre, metal, stone, clay, lime, oil, and pigment all carry histories of work, place, technology, and culture. Tar.fyi exists to improve public understanding of that material world.
Editorial independence
Tar.fyi is written as an independent information archive. References to products, organisations, industries, traditions, or historical practices are included for explanation and context, not as automatic endorsements.
Low data collection
The site is designed to be readable without accounts, unnecessary tracking, or avoidable data collection. We aim to process as little visitor data as reasonably possible.
Accessibility
Tar.fyi should be simple to read and simple to navigate. We aim to keep the site lightweight, understandable, and usable across common devices, browsers, and accessibility tools.
Correction and improvement
A reference site is never truly finished. We expect articles to be improved over time as the archive grows, terminology is refined, and better information becomes available.
Respect for overlooked knowledge
Some subjects are treated as too ordinary, messy, old-fashioned, or obscure to deserve careful explanation. Tar.fyi takes the opposite view. Ordinary materials deserve a clear record.