---
title: "What is a Crayon made of?"
description: "Paraffin wax with pigment stirred in, poured hot into a mould and cooled. Almost nothing else. Every component, the material it uses, and the constraint that made th"
url: https://atoneplace.net/made-of/crayon/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What is a Crayon made of?

**What is a Crayon made of?: Paraffin wax with pigment stirred in, poured hot into a mould and cooled. Almost nothing else.**

A crayon works by abrasion rather than by flow: paper drags wax off the tip and traps it in the fibre texture, which is why crayon marks sit on top of the sheet and why they lift with heat. Crayons contain no wax crayon-specific chemistry worth the name, and their reputation for safety is deliberate — the paraffin and pigment are chosen to be non-toxic if chewed, and reputable makers have their products tested to the toy safety standards rather than the art materials ones. Asbestos contamination scares in the late 1990s traced back to talc used as a filler, and mainstream brands reformulated away from talc afterwards. The distinctive smell most adults can identify blindfolded comes from beef tallow-derived stearic acid.

## Component by component

*Every material is a choice, and the third column is the constraint that drove it.*

| Part | Material | Why that material |
| --- | --- | --- |
| body | paraffin wax, sometimes with stearic acid or a harder wax added | Paraffin melts around 50-60 °C, so it can be poured into moulds, but stays solid in a hot classroom and drags off onto paper under light pressure. |
| colour | pigments — iron oxides, titanium dioxide, organic lakes | Pigments are insoluble particles carried by the wax, so the colour does not bleed, fade or transfer between crayons in the box. |
| hardener | stearic acid or a small proportion of harder wax | Pure paraffin is too soft and greasy; the hardener sets how much wax is left behind per stroke. |
| wrapper | paper label, glued | It stops warm hands melting the surface and gives the crayon enough hoop strength not to snap in a fist. |

## Other stationery and paper objects

- [Pencil](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/pencil/) — Graphite mixed with clay and fired, glued inside two grooved halves of softwood. No lead, ever.
- [Paper](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/paper/) — Cellulose fibres from wood pulp, plus up to a third mineral filler, sizing and brightener.
- [Ballpoint pen](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/ballpoint-pen/) — A tungsten carbide ball a millimetre across, rolling in a brass socket, fed by thick oil-based ink.
- [Glitter](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/glitter/) — Aluminium-coated polyester film, colour-coated and chopped into fragments — by definition a microplastic.
- [Cardboard](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/cardboard/) — Two flat kraft paper liners glued either side of a fluted paper medium — the flutes do all the work.
- [Eraser](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/eraser/) — Either natural rubber with fine abrasive and oil, or plasticised PVC — two different ways of lifting graphite.
- [Blackboard chalk](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/chalk/) — Mostly calcium sulfate — plaster of Paris — rather than the calcium carbonate the name suggests.
- [Playing card](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/playing-card/) — Two sheets of paper laminated around a black glue core, then coated in plastic — or solid PVC.
- [Postage stamp](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/postage-stamp/) — Coated paper with phosphor bands, printed in security inks, on either water-activated gum or a self-adhesive.

## Common questions

### What is a Crayon made of?

Paraffin wax with pigment stirred in, poured hot into a mould and cooled. Almost nothing else.

### What is the body of a Crayon made of?

Paraffin wax, sometimes with stearic acid or a harder wax added. Paraffin melts around 50-60 °C, so it can be poured into moulds, but stays solid in a hot classroom and drags off onto paper under light pressure.

### What is the colour of a Crayon made of?

Pigments — iron oxides, titanium dioxide, organic lakes. Pigments are insoluble particles carried by the wax, so the colour does not bleed, fade or transfer between crayons in the box.

## Related pages

- [Pencil](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/pencil/)
- [Paper](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/paper/)
- [Ballpoint pen](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/ballpoint-pen/)
- [Glitter](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/glitter/)
- [Cardboard](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/cardboard/)
- [Eraser](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/eraser/)
- [Blackboard chalk](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/chalk/)
- [Playing card](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/playing-card/)
- [Tennis ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/tennis-ball/)
- [Banknote](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/banknote/)
- [Golf ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/golf-ball/)
- [Glass](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/glass/)
- [Soccer ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/soccer-ball/)
- [Marshmallow](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/marshmallow/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)