Melting Point Of Candle Wax
The melting point of wax is between 100 °F and 190 °F for most candles but can fluctuate between different types of wax. Paying attention to the temperature of your wax is critical, especially when adding scents, colors, and while pouring.
Maintaining the right temperature during the melting and pouring process guarantees a great outcome. Whereas melting or pouring the wax at the wrong temperature can lead to disaster.
Generally, wax’s melting point does not exceed higher than two hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Exceeding the melting point may cause chemical reactions, resulting in irreversible physical change. Since these are chemical reactions, you cannot reverse these effects just by letting the wax cool down again. Moreover, overheating your wax past its melting point can cause your candle’s glass jar or mold to shatter.
Understanding the proper temperature conditions of the different candle waxes is important when preparing your own candles at home. Knowing the melting points of waxes can also help you understand how to prepare your candles and burn them in your home. When crafting candles in your home, always keep the temperature of your candle wax and candle jars (or other molding apparatus) consistent for the best results.
At what temperature does candle wax melt?
The general melting point for candle wax is between 145 °F and 180 °F, but it can vary based on the type of candle wax and the additives. It’s important to warm the wax slowly to prevent overheating, and cool the wax slowly to prevent fat bloom.
As a rule of thumb, waxes with low melting points (like paraffin and coconut wax) can be used to achieve very vibrant colors and strong scent. However, they also tend to burn faster and last not as long.
Candles with a medium to high melting point (such as palm wax or gel wax) normally don’t produce the same vivid colors or strong hot throw. However, they will normally burn considerably longer.
Below you can find the melting points of the most common types of wax used for candle making:
| Type of Wax | Melting Point (°F) |
|---|---|
| Paraffin wax | 115~155 |
| Soy wax | 120~180 |
| Palm wax | 180~190 |
| Beeswax | 140~150 |
| Gel wax | ~180 |
| Rapeseed wax | ~110 |
| Coconut wax | ~100 |
Can you overheat candle wax?
Prevent overheating your candles at all cost. Heating a wax to high above its melting point will result in irreversible chemical change and candles of bad qualities. You might experience bubbling, poor throwing, discoloration, frosting, uneven tops, poor glass adhesion, etc. Sometimes these imperfections are inside the candle, so they aren’t directly obvious by eye.
Heating wax above 200 degrees Fahrenheit will discolor the wax, causing it to brown, fade, or gray. It may also cause a separation of the wax and its additives. In some cases, you can even burn the color additives or fragrance oils, which can results in a really unpleasant hot throw.
When a wax becomes overheated, you cannot fix the damaging effects. It is important to pay attention to the heat while melting your candle wax and the pour heat. If you overheat your wax, you must throw away the batch or the candle. So it’s beneficial to have a thermometer that you can clip to your pan/container, so you don’t overshoot the melting temperature of your wax.
At what temperature should wax be poured?
You normally want to pour the wax at a temperature slightly below the melting point. Pouring it around this temperature guarantees that it will take the form of any mold that you put it in, and all additives will remain consistent throughout the mixture. Since the melting point is different for each type of wax, the ideal pouring temperature differs as well.
Before pouring your wax into your mold or container, check the temperature of your container. Pouring your hot wax into a cold container can lead to cracking, separation, and bubbling. So try to warm up your containers in the oven before pouring the hot wax.
What happens if you pour your candle wax too hot?
Pouring your candle wax too hot can result in many imperfections in your candle such as cracking, poor fragrance throw, bad glass adhesion, uneven tops, etc. Moreover, if the wax is too hot it can also crack a glass container or deform a candle mold.
What happens if you pour wax too cold?
If the wax is too cold while pouring, the candles might experience hollowing or sinking. Because the top dries while the wax underneath is still warm, the wax starts to suck down on itself. If your wax is very cold, you might also have lumps of wax throughout the candle.
