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A candle is a wick embedded in wax or another flammable solid such as tallow. Other candles use microcrystalline wax, beeswax or gel, and some use plant waxes, generally palm, carnauba, bayberry or soybean wax. Fragrance oils, essential oils or aniline-based dye are often added.

Paraffin wax

Paraffin wax is a soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal or oil shale. It is a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules with between 20 and 40 carbon atoms, and C₃₁H₆₄ is a typical component. It is solid at room temperature, and its typical melting point lies between about 46 and 68 °C. Its feedstock is slack wax, a mixture of oil and wax that is a byproduct of refining lubricating oil.

Beeswax

Beeswax is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus Apis. The hive workers use it to form cells for honey storage and for protecting larvae and pupae. Chemically, beeswax consists mainly of esters of fatty acids and various long-chain alcohols. Triacontanyl palmitate, a wax ester, is a major component. Beeswax is a fragrant solid at room temperature, with a melting point range of 62 to 64 °C. As a candle material, beeswax burns cleanly without a smoky flame and without the unpleasant smell of tallow. Beeswax and coconut wax burn longer than paraffin or soy wax.

The burning candle

The flame melts the top of the solid wax, the liquid wax rises through the wick by capillary action, and it vaporizes to burn in the flame. Wicks before the 19th century needed regular trimming to keep the flame steady and to prevent black smoke. In modern candles the wick curves over as it burns, so that its end is incinerated and the wick trims itself.

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