Composites are combinations of materials that make things stronger and lighter, from bikes and boats to airplanes. This badge shows you how they're made and lets you build two projects yourself. It's a hands-on badge for future engineers and builders.
Why it's worth it
Carbon-fiber bike frames, fiberglass canoes, wind turbine blades, and airplane wings are all composites: two materials combined to be stronger and lighter than either alone. On this badge you'll learn how engineers choose and layer them, and then you'll make two real projects with your own hands. It's a great fit if you like building things and want to know how modern gear really works.
Start this week
- Walk around your home and garage and list five things you think are composites, like a hockey stick, helmet, or fishing rod.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Composite Materials counselor, and contact them with a parent copied.
- With an adult, find and read the safety data sheet for one resin or glue product online.
- Brainstorm two small projects you'd like to try and ask your counselor which would work as a first one.
Stay safe
- Resins, hardeners, and fiber dust can irritate skin, eyes, and lungs. Work with an adult, wear gloves and eye protection, ventilate the space, and follow the product's safety data sheet.
Requirements · 6
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
- Requirement 1
Safety
Tips for this section: Read a safety data sheet for a resin or adhesive with an adult. Wear gloves, eye protection, and work in a well-ventilated area.
Example for this section: Pull up the safety data sheet for an epoxy resin and point to the sections on health hazards, protective gear, and first aid. Then explain your setup: nitrile gloves, safety glasses, good ventilation, and no eating at the workbench.
- Requirement 1a
Explain to your counselor the hazards you're most likely to meet when working with composites and how to anticipate, prevent, mitigate, and respond to them; describe the right safety gear and clothing to wear
- Requirement 1b
Explain what precautions to take when you handle, store, or throw away resins, reinforcements, and other composite supplies, and why health, safety, and care for the environment matter
- Requirement 1c
Describe a safety data sheet (SDS) and explain why it's used
- Requirement 2
What composites are
Tips for this section: Find composite items around you, like a hockey stick or fishing rod, and compare them to wood or metal versions.
Example for this section: Compare a fiberglass canoe paddle with a wooden one: weight, stiffness, how each handles water and sun, and cost. Explain that the glass fibers carry the load while the resin holds them in shape.
- Requirement 2a
Explain what composite materials are, with a short history of how they developed
- Requirement 2b
Compare composites with wood, aluminum, copper, and steel, describing their physical, electrical, mechanical, corrosion, flammability, cost, and other properties; for each of those four materials, give one example of shaping and using it for a specific purpose
- Requirement 3
Describe how composite materials are made, then do 3a-3c
Tip: Look up how fibers and resins are combined. Draw a simple diagram showing the layers.
For example: Draw a cross-section of a surfboard or kayak hull: foam or wood core, layers of fiberglass cloth, and resin soaking through it. Explain how laying fibers in different directions makes a part strong in more than one direction.
- Requirement 3a
Discuss three composite reinforcement materials, their good and bad traits, and their uses; get the SDS for each and discuss its toxicity, disposal, and safe-handling sections
- Requirement 3b
Discuss three resins used in composites, including both thermoset and thermoplastic resins, their good and bad traits, and their uses; get the SDS for each and discuss its toxicity, disposal, and safe-handling sections
- Requirement 3c
For each of the three resins you picked in 3b, come up with a new use that might be worth developing
- Requirement 4
Learning from industry. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: If a visit isn't possible, explore company websites to see what they make and how.
- Requirement 4a
With a parent's or guardian's permission and your counselor's approval, visit a company that builds or repairs products made from composites, then talk over what you learned with your counselor
- Requirement 4b
With a parent's or guardian's permission and your counselor's approval, find three websites related to composites, then talk over what you learned with your counselor
- Requirement 5
Composite projects
Tips for this section: Work with an adult and follow safety rules. Start with a simple project to learn how the materials behave.
Example for this section: Pick at least one project from the Composite Materials pamphlet. The second can be another from the pamphlet or your own idea, like a fiberglass patch on a scrap of wood, once your counselor approves it. Do them with your counselor or an adult they approve who has worked with resin.
- Requirement 5a
Complete two composite projects: at least one from the Composite Materials pamphlet, and the second either from the pamphlet or your own idea that your counselor approves in advance
- Requirement 5b
With your counselor's help, find a suitable site to do the projects safely under the supervision of your counselor or a knowledgeable adult your counselor approves
- Requirement 5c
Decide with your counselor how the finished projects will be judged, then use those guidelines to evaluate them together
- Requirement 6
Careers and hobbies. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Look into jobs like materials engineer or technician, or hobbies like model building or boat repair.
- Requirement 6a
Research one composites-related career: training and education, costs, job outlook, salary, duties, and advancement (with permission, use internet or library research, an interview, or a workplace visit); discuss with your counselor what you found and why it might interest you
- Requirement 6b
Explore how composites knowledge and skills could become a hobby or interest; research training, costs, and organizations that support it, and discuss with your counselor the short- and long-term goals you might set
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A boat, aircraft, or wind-energy repair shop
See technicians lay up fiberglass or carbon fiber, cure it, and repair cracks on real boats, planes, or blades.
How: Have an adult call and ask whether a technician could show your patrol a repair in progress. Expect to wear safety glasses and stay out of resin areas.
A college materials or engineering lab
Researchers test how much force a sample can take before it breaks, and many labs welcome youth groups.
How: An adult can email the engineering department's outreach office and ask about tours or open houses.
Where it can lead
- Composite technicianBuilds and repairs parts for boats, aircraft, and cars; trained through community colleges or on the job.
- Materials engineerDesigns new materials and tests how they perform under heat, stress, and time.
- Aircraft maintenance technicianInspects and repairs airplanes, including composite skins and parts.
- Boat builderShapes hulls and decks in fiberglass and resin; many learn through apprenticeships.
Ask yourself
- What did you think composites were before you started, and what do you think now?
- Which part of your first project went differently than you expected?
- How did reading the safety data sheet change the way you set up your workspace?
- What everyday object would you redesign using composites, and why?
Good questions to ask your counselor or someone who works with composites
- How do you decide whether a part should be composite, metal, or plastic?
- What's the hardest part about getting a good layup without bubbles or dry spots?
- How do you test whether a composite part is strong enough?
- What happens to composite products when they wear out?
- How did you get into this field, and what training did you need?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Make sure projects happen with adult supervision, proper ventilation, and protective gear.
- Contact local manufacturers or boat shops to arrange a visit.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Local manufacturers or boat and bike shops — See composites being made or repaired.
- OSHA (opens in a new tab) — Information about workplace safety and chemical hazards.
- American Composites Manufacturers Association (opens in a new tab) — How composites are made and where they're used, from boats to bridges.
- ASM International (opens in a new tab) — A professional society for materials scientists, with student resources.
- NASA STEM (opens in a new tab) — Activities about the lightweight materials that make aircraft and spacecraft possible.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.