Candle waxes have been developed from a variety of fats, oils and wax like substances made from animals, insects and plants.

Wax is considered to be a generic term for classifying materials that have these characteristics:

Solid at room temperature; liquid at higher temperatures

It's structure mostly hydrocarbon (any organic compound composed solely of the elements hydrogen and carbon.)

Water repellent

Smooth texture; buffs under little pressure

Low toxicity; low reactivity

Low odor

Combustible

Waxes are widely used throughout the world for a wide range of applications, including packaging, coatings, cosmetics, foods, adhesives, inks, castings, crayons, chewing gum, polishes and of course candles.


Wax is a very broad term for a wide variety of materials that have similar properties but vary widely in chemical composition. One characteristic that they all have in common is that they are solid at room temperature and become liquid when heated. They also share the following characteristics; solid at room temperature, combustible, low reactivity, and smooth texture. Waxes can be broken down into several categories for candle making.

Petroleum Waxes
The most widely used wax in the candlemaking industry is paraffin wax, which is refined from crude oil. The crude oil is filtered and put through various complex chemical processes to create the three major petroleum waxes Paraffin, Microcrystallines and Petrolatum.

Paraffin Waxes are composed of primarily straight chain hydrocarbons and are available in different melting points, from 120 to 160 degrees farenheit. Paraffin waxes are classified in the candle industry by melting point and oil content. Usually lower melt point paraffin waxes are used for container candles and higher melt points for free standing candles. Paraffin waxes are characterized further by their oil content. Paraffin waxes that have 3-5% oil contents are referred to as scale waxes, 1-3% semi- refined, and fully refined paraffin waxes have oil contents less than .5%.

Microcrystallines waxes consist mainly of a mixture of saturated hydrocarbons; it posseses a much smaller crystalline structure than paraffin wax. It has a very low oil content, high melt point, and has different physical properties. Microcrystallines are primarily used in making candles as an additive.

Petrolatum is a homogenous mixture of oil and microcrystalline wax. Petrolatum is very soft in nature and is typically used in container candles to help with adhesion to the container walls. Used in larger percentages it can help minimize shrinkage in container waxes.