A blasting agent is a chemical material that can detonate under the proper impulse, but does not detonate as easily as a high explosive. A blasting agent will have a lower velocity of detonation and requires less strict handling for storage and transportation. These explosives are considered tertiary because they require a secondary explosive to ignite them. Blasting agents are the bulk materials used for blasts in mining applications; ANFO (ammonium nitrate and fuel oil) is a common blasting agent

A high explosive is used to detonate the explosion of a blasting agent. High explosives are very sensitive, which means they can be detonated fairly easily through an impact or a shock produced by a blasting cap, so they are considered primary or secondary explosives. These explosives detonate with an explosive velocity in the range of 3-9 km/s, which means they produce a supersonic propagation wave. Nitroglycerine is an example of a high explosive.