What is a Candle made of?
What is a Candle made of?
Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
The wick does not burn; it wicks. Heat from the flame melts a small pool of wax, capillary action draws liquid wax up the braid, the flame's heat vaporises it and the vapour is what actually burns — which is why you can relight the smoke trail after blowing a candle out. Lead-cored wicks were banned in the US in 2003 and are gone from reputable makers everywhere; zinc and paper cores remain and are used to keep container candle wicks upright. Sooting is almost always a wick that is too long or a draught disturbing the flame, so the standard advice to trim to about 5 mm before each burn is the single most effective thing an owner can do.
Component by component
| Part | Material | Why that material |
|---|---|---|
| wax | paraffin from petroleum refining, or soy, coconut, palm or beeswax | The melting point sets the burn: too soft and the pool floods the wick, too hard and the flame cannot melt enough fuel. |
| wick | braided cotton, sometimes with a paper or zinc core | The braid draws liquid wax up by capillary action; the wax burns as vapour, and the wick is only the delivery system. |
| wick curl | an asymmetric braid that bends the tip out of the flame | The exposed tip burns away, so the wick self-trims — which is why modern candles do not need snuffing every ten minutes. |
| hardener | stearic acid | It raises the melting point and opacity of soft waxes, letting a pillar candle stand up in a warm room. |
| fragrance and dye | fragrance oils and oil-soluble dyes | Fragrance load is limited by the wax: too much and the oil separates, floods the wick and the candle soots or will not stay lit. |
Other around the house objects
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Lipstick Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
- Shampoo Three-quarters water, a primary detergent, a milder secondary one, salt to thicken, and silicone to make hair feel smooth.
- Balloon Party balloons are dipped natural rubber latex; foil balloons are metallised plastic film and are not rubber at all.
- Deodorant Deodorant kills the bacteria that cause the smell; antiperspirant uses aluminium salts to plug the sweat duct. Different products.
- Toothbrush Nylon filaments stapled into a polypropylene handle with a wire — three plastics that cannot be separated for recycling.
Common questions
- What is a Candle made of?
- Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- What is the wax of a Candle made of?
- Paraffin from petroleum refining, or soy, coconut, palm or beeswax. The melting point sets the burn: too soft and the pool floods the wick, too hard and the flame cannot melt enough fuel.
- What is the wick of a Candle made of?
- Braided cotton, sometimes with a paper or zinc core. The braid draws liquid wax up by capillary action; the wax burns as vapour, and the wick is only the delivery system.
Related pages
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Lipstick Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
- Pencil Stationery and paper
- Tennis ball Sport and games
- Golf ball Sport and games
- Paper Stationery and paper
- Glass Building materials
- Soccer ball Sport and games
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place