Cubane has the highest strain energy (166kcal/mol) of any organic compounds available in multi gram amount. It is a kinetically stable compound and only decomposite above 220 Celsius Degree. It is also one of the most dense hydrocarbons ever know.

However, although many physical properties of cubane have been measured, in 1980 and before, cubane was considered just a laboratory curiosity of interest only to academics. It changed, in early 1980s when Gilbert of U.S Army Armament and Development Command (now ARDEC) pointed out that cubane's very high heat of formation and its exceptionally high density could make certain cubane derivatives important explosives.