what are curling brooms made of

Curling brooms are mainly made from lightweight composite handles and synthetic fabric heads, with older styles using natural plant or animal fibers instead.

Main Components at a Glance

• Handle: Wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or composites of fiberglass and carbon fiber.

• Head / Pad: Flat plastic or composite head with a synthetic fabric pad (the “brush” part).

• Bristles / Fibers: Traditionally corn or straw; modern versions use synthetic fibers, nylon, or animal hair like horsehair or hog hair.

Handles: From Wood to Carbon

Older curling brooms used wood handles, which are sturdy and give a solid feel but are noticeably heavier. Recreational brooms often use fiberglass because it balances cost, weight, and durability. High‑end and competitive brooms typically use carbon fiber or carbon‑fiber composites, which are very light and stiff, helping sweepers move faster and apply more pressure with less fatigue.

Heads and Pads: What Touches the Ice

Traditional “corn brooms” had heads made from bundled corn straw or similar plant fibers tied to the handle. Modern “brush” brooms use a flat head (often plastic or composite) fitted with a removable fabric pad made from synthetic materials designed to create consistent friction on the ice. These fabric pads are now the standard in most competitive curling because they give more predictable ice action and are easier on the ice surface.

Bristles and Special Materials

Where brooms still use bristle‑style heads rather than full fabric pads, the fibers can be:

• Synthetic fibers / nylon: Durable, consistent, and common in modern brooms.

• Horsehair or hog hair: Softer natural hairs that can be very effective at altering the ice surface, used more in traditional or specialty brooms.

Some players also add head covers to protect the fabric or bristles between games, usually made from synthetic cloth or similar protective material.

Quick recap

• Old-school: wood handle + corn or straw head.

• Modern standard: carbon‑fiber or fiberglass handle + synthetic fabric pad on a flat head.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.