Extended abstract: Due to urbanization and building of traffic infrastructure it is necessary to apply cautious blasting, i.e. blasting which should fragment the rock mass, but on the other hand, it should also cause the least possible damage of the rock mass in order to preserve its physical and mechanical properties outside the blast area. Controlled blasting also reduces potentially damaging effect of blasting on surrounding objects and structures. The properties of explosives that are normally used do not fulfill the aforementioned requirements, particularly when it is necessary to apply cautious blasting. Tested low density explosives possess detonation properties and blasting and technical characteristics appropriate for cautious blasting conditions. They are defined as explosives used for blasting operations in mining engineering in order to achieve minimum fragmentation of crushed material, i.e. larger fragment size, reduce blasting cost and obtain minimum damage outside the blast field. Low-density explosives usually have densities below 0,80 g/cm3, and the explosives with densities below 0,20 g/cm3 are called very low-density explosives. Density of an explosive is decreased by adding materials that have substantially lower density than explosive density. Materials that are added to explosives can be divided into two groups: inert materials (perlite, vermiculite, glass microspheres, etc.) and materials with combustion properties, i.e. materials that participate in oxidation reaction (polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane foam, coal dust, sawdust, sugar cane waste, peanut shells, cereals, etc.). The aim of this research is to obtain a low-density explosive manufactured by existing explosives for civil uses, i.e. their components and other substances. That explosive will be used for cautious blasting in order to reduce shock effect of energy released by detonation on a borehole wall, reduce damage zone and reduce potentially damaging impact on the environment. The research includes laboratory and field tests. Laboratory tests include determining borderline density of individual explosives for obtaining detonability. The decrease of density, velocity of detonation and shock effect was done with blends of existing explosives for civil uses with the addition of expanded polystyrene (EPS). Expanded polystyrene (EPS) was added to explosives in different volume ratios, and different densities of new explosives that achieve detonability were obtained. Field tests determine the effect of low-density explosive on the rock mass, and the effect of detonation process on the environment. In order to determine the effect of those explosives the following methods were used: crater test, determining methods for measuring the velocity of detonation in a borehole, measuring oscillation velocities, determining granulometric composition, etc. Performed tests determined the composition of the optimal blend of a low-density explosive on the basis of emulsion matrix with the addition of expanded polystyrene, and its detonation properties and blasting and technical characteristics.