Petroleum Products: Candles

From keeping time to providing light to just making the room smell good, candles have enjoyed an important role throughout the history of mankind.

Over the span of more than a century, candles have been made from a variety of ingredients, including animal fat and beeswax, but nowadays are mostly made of paraffin wax, although several other types exist.

Paraffin wax is made from refined petroleum and has a variety of applications aside from its use as the primary ingredient in candle making. Paraffin may be refined to various levels; the more oil removed, the more refined the wax is considered to be.

Other uses for paraffin include lubricants, wax paper and wax baths, and even as a chewing gum additive.

Below is a video from Discovery’s How It’s Made: Candles.[[{"fid":"864","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","attributes":{}}]]