What Is Semi-Refined Paraffin Wax?
Listed in descending order of refinement, semi-refined paraffin wax (the grade of least refinement) is between crude paraffin wax (the least refined type) and fully refined paraffin wax (the most refined type). It is a combination of saturated straight-chain alkanes (usually C18 to C30 hydrocarbons) formed out of petroleum, although its purity degree is between 95 and 98 per cent, which is much cleaner than crude wax but not as pure as fully refined grades.
It is most often a pale yellow to light amber in appearance, with a smooth, waxy feel that is firm but not brittle at ambient temperature. It is cheap, relatively soft with a slight, pleasant petroleum smell (much less pungent than crude variants) with a lower oil content that does not cause excessive sweating or oil leakage. It gets its name because it is processed in the middle-ground: it is sufficiently purified to eliminate most of the heavy impurities, but omits the last and more aggressive process (such as hydrotreating or clay bleaching), which make fully refined wax.
The characteristics of semi refined paraffin wax are designed to meet a compromise between performance and price.
Physical Appearance: Pale yellow to light amber (no sharp white colour such as fully refined wax), and translucent to opaque finish. It is smooth and non-sticky, fractures slightly crystalline with less brittle fracture than the higher-refined waxes.
Melting Point: 50 deg C to 60 deg C range of most commercial grades- equivalent to a large proportion of fully refined candle-grade waxes. This melting temperature allows easy melting using common heating device, and at the same time, assures solid candles or products to maintain their shape at room temperature.
Oil Content: 1-3 percent (much lower than the 5 percent-10 percent of a crude wax, but much higher than the 0.5 percent of fully refined wax). Such moderate content of oil contributes a little flexibility to the wax, which does not produce unwarranted sweating, so it can be used in areas where rigidity is not a serious consideration.
Chemical Stability Inert and non-toxic, with little to no reactivity to acids, alkalis, or most organic molecules. It is able to resist the oxidation process effectively and thus lasts long on the shelf (1-2 years in case of proper storage) without degradation.
Burn Characteristics: Burns slowly and evenly with moderate smoke, - less than crude wax; more than fully refined wax. It burns continuously when combined with the correct wick and can therefore be used with non-premium candle products.
Solubility: Not soluble in water, but combines readily with oils, fragrances, and dyes- though its light yellow base can turn a light color slightly (like a full refined wax blank canvas is neutral).
The Process of Making Semi-Refined Paraffin Wax.
Petroleum refining is alike in its production of semi-refined paraffin wax, though fewer operations are required than to produce fully refined paraffin wax:
Distillation Crude oil is heated in a distillation tower to be divided into fractions (gasoline, diesel, lubricating oil base stocks). Of those heavy and waxy fractions (waxy distillates), the wax is collected.
Dewaxing: Wax crystals are obtained by cooling dewax distillates, then separated by solvent dewaxing (with solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone) or pressure dewaxing (mechanical filtration). This step yields so called slack wax- a mixture of oil and wax.
Deoiling: Slack wax is subjected to solvent extraction or fractional crystallization to lower content of oil to 1%-3. The move eliminates surplus oil that would result into sweating or underperforming.
Basic Refining: The deoiled wax is filtered to take off the solid impurities (such as dirt, metal, or left-over catalyst). It is not treated (to de-sulfurize/de-nitrogen through hydrotreating) or bleached with clay (whiteening and deodorizing, thus) thus production costs are less than those of fully refined wax.
Solidification: The fined wax is melted and cooled and packaged and distributed in blocks or pellets, or flakes.
Basic uses of Semi-Refined Paraffin Wax.
The combination of quality and cost of semi-refined paraffin wax makes it a necessity in any industry:
Easy to use (Budget-Friendly Lines) Candle Making.
The most common application. It is employed to make mass-market candles (tealights, pillar candles, jar candles when most value brands) when cost is a key factor.
combines well with dyes and fragrances (its yellow base might demand a little more dye to form bright colors). It is easy to shape and burns consistently to do the daily job- perfect in retail or hospitality or even in promotion candles.
Mixed often with little bit of fully refined wax or soy wax to enhance the appearance or to reduce smoke in mid-tier products.
Packaging and Coating
Applied to cardboard boxes, paper bags, or wooden crates (e.g. in order to store machinery parts, textiles, or agricultural products) to prevent the damage of water.
Used as a coating on fruits (apples, pears) or vegetables to decrease moisture loss and increase shelf life its food safety (when it meets the FDA or EU standards) makes it an appropriate product for this purpose.
They are applied to candles wicks to enhance their regularity in burning, and also in waxed paper to package a snack or craft.
Junda Wax, based in Fushun City, Liaoning Province, China—adjacent to the "cradle" of China's oil refining industry- Fushun Petrochemical Company. Junda wax dedicate to wax industry since established in 2000. With over 25 years of expertise, we focus on delivering exceptional range of high-quality paraffin wax, candles, and related products.
Our mission is to empower our clients by providing premium-quality products that achieve win-win and innovation. We measure our achievements by the value we add to every customer’s project.
Situated in the heart of China's petrochemical hub, we maintain a stable and efficient supply chain to ensure long-term, uninterrupted delivery.
With a deep understanding of client needs, we specialize in delivering tailored wax solutions to meet unique business demands.
Trusted by thousands of customers across 100+ countries, we have successfully delivered over 50,000 tons of paraffin wax worldwide.
Junda is dedicated to offering exceptional service and competitive pricing, we are pursuing long-term partnerships built on shared values and mutual success.
