Industrial Waxes
Choosing industrial waxes by application
Cerax supplies industrial waxes for processing performance, consistency and end-use requirements. This catalogue brings together the main synthetic, paraffin and natural product families. Use the menu to move between sections, then compare the relevant grade information with your application brief.
For modified materials and specialist formulations, follow the links below to the dedicated product pages. Product descriptions are a starting point for discussion; the proposed grade must be assessed against the customer’s specification and intended use.
Explore 6 related product families
Synthetic materials
The synthetic range includes Fischer-Tropsch, polyethylene and polypropylene options. Compare the required hardness, melting behaviour, viscosity and formulation compatibility. Read the synthetic product page for an overview of the three families and technical selection questions.
Paraffin grades
The range includes slack, semi-refined and fully refined grades with different specifications. Oil content, melting behaviour, colour and finished performance are relevant comparison points. Explore our paraffin product range and request current data for the proposed grade.
Natural materials
Our natural range includes palm, sugar cane, montan, carnauba, sunflower and beeswax options. These materials have different sources and characteristics. Where purchasing requirements include renewable content or other sourcing criteria, request grade-specific information rather than assuming all natural materials are equivalent.
Microcrystalline grades
Microcrystalline material can be considered in blends where binding, flexibility or tackiness is relevant. Compare the data with the formulation’s required result. Our microcrystalline product page explains the application brief and grade-selection questions.
Oxidised materials
The Ceranox range supports discussions around functional properties in liquid formulations, coatings, polishes and other applications. See our oxidised product range and describe the required functionality, current specification and preferred physical form.
Micronised powders
For ink and coating applications, particle size is one part of the brief alongside the underlying material and intended surface performance. Explore our micronised range for questions covering the base material, product data and trial evaluation.
From product shortlist to sample evaluation
Prepare a clear enquiry
Describe the finished application, substrate, existing material and processing conditions. Identify the performance priorities and any required documentation. Include the preferred form and packaging when these affect handling. A complete brief helps the team discuss the appropriate starting point without relying on a family name alone.
Compare candidates consistently
Request current technical and safety documents for each proposed grade. Agree a reference material, trial objective and assessment method. Keep preparation and application conditions consistent, then record processing behaviour and the finished result. Review the evidence before moving to a larger evaluation or routine supply.
Consider a tailored formulation
If an established grade does not meet the full brief, discuss custom blends. Explain which requirement must change and which properties must be retained. The next step can be considered alongside the available technical information and production constraints.
For background on terminology used in polymer-containing formulations, consult the IUPAC polymer definition. Commercial specifications and suitability must still be confirmed for the exact product.
Contact Cerax to discuss industrial waxes, samples, technical input and supply options.
Product forms: blocks, flakes and pastilles
Physical form can affect how your team handles and introduces a material. These photographs show examples already featured in the Cerax range, not a complete stock list. Confirm the form and packaging for the selected grade rather than assuming all products in a family arrive in the same format.
What can a photograph tell me about a wax product?
A photograph helps explain appearance and physical form. It cannot establish oil content, melting behaviour, hardness, chemical composition or approval for an end use. A similar-looking block or flake may have a different specification. Use the exact grade name and current technical sheet when comparing products, and use the picture as supporting context.
If a particular handling format matters to your process, identify it in the enquiry alongside the packaging requirement. Confirm whether the proposed grade is available in that form. Keep that confirmation with the quotation so a purchasing description does not rely only on an image.
Synthetic Waxes
Synthetic waxes are manufactured materials used across industrial applications. Cerax supplies Fischer-Tropsch, polyethylene and polypropylene families, together with modified variants and application-specific blends.
Selection depends on the required hardness, melting behaviour, viscosity and compatibility in the complete formulation. Functionalisation can include oxidation, saponification or reactive grafting. Suitable hard grades can also be micronised into fine powders for inks and coatings.
Use the descriptions below to compare the main families. For further selection guidance, see the synthetic product range or discuss your application brief with Cerax.
Fischer-Tropsch (FT) Waxes are pure hydrocarbon waxes ranging from medium to very hard waxes. The FT hard waxes with high molecular weights have high melting points, superior hardness and low viscosities. FT waxes are synthetically produced from carbon monoxide and hydrogen by using the Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology. The resulting waxes are straight chain hydrocarbons of consistent quality and purity with unique and desirable properties. These waxes can be modified further to produce a wide range of physical and chemical characteristics suited to a range of applications. Cerax offers a range of high-melt point FT waxes, used as performance additives and also medium melt point derivatives, which can replicate typical paraffin wax characteristics.
Polyethylene (PE) Wax is manufactured as first intention product or as by-product from polyethylene synthesis using catalytic polymerisation, most commonly utilising the Ziegler-Natta catalyst.
PE wax can also be produced as a result of controlled thermal degradation of polyethylene.
In general polyethylene waxes have higher molecular weights and more branched hydrocarbons than Fischer-Tropsch waxes, which yield products with higher melt melting points, higher melt flow viscosities and similar hardness.
It is possible to functionalise polyethylene wax through oxidation or reactive grafting to enhance the properties of the waxes, specifically regarding free-surface energy and viscosity.
The waxes are commonly used in polymer processing, due to their compatibility with polymers, and production of dispersions and emulsions.
Certain grades are certified for food contact in specific applications.
Cerax PE 2
Specifications:
Congealing Point: 93 +- 3 degrees °C
Colour: Off-white
Viscosity: 30 +- 10 mPa’s
Description: A high melting point synthetic wax, with medium to low viscosity. May be used as a polymer processing aid and dispersant aid for colour masterbatch. The material is white in colour, and exhibits excellent qualities.
Polypropylene (PP) Wax is manufactured as a by-product from polypropylene synthesis or as a result of controlled pyrolysis of polypropylene. Polypropylene wax may be used as a viscosity modifier in colour masterbatch production or micronized to give coating scratch resistance.
Compare synthetic product families
Paraffin Waxes
Paraffin waxes include slack, semi-refined and fully refined grades with different oil contents and processing characteristics. Cerax supplies these materials and uses them in blends developed for customer requirements.
The range supports applications including candles, matches, coatings and other industrial formulations. Compare the exact grade specification, intended use and trial performance rather than selecting by family name alone.
Explore the paraffin product range for further descriptions, selection questions and document enquiries.
Slack waxes are obtained during lubricating-oil dewaxing at crude-oil refineries. Their melting point, oil content and hardness vary with the source and composition.
These materials are used in non-food applications including candles, construction-board emulsions, match products and water barriers. They can also serve as blend components or be further refined. Confirm the exact commercial grade and intended use with Cerax.
Cerax SPO
Congealing Point: 52 +- 2 Degrees °C
Colour: Light Yellow/White
A paraffinic unrefined slack wax, which may be used in blends that have a wider specification on oil content and penetration. Cerax SPO may be blended with candle wax blends in order to optimise cost or performance.
Cerax LMO
Congealing Point
Colour:
A paraffinic and partially microcrystalline medium machine oil slack wax extract.
Cerax MMO
Congealing Point
Colour:
A paraffinic and partially microcrystalline medium machine oil slack wax extract.
Cerax Bright-stock
Congealing Point: 72 +- 2 Degrees °C
Colour: Brown
A micro-crystalline unrefined slack wax extract, used for industrial applications whereby oil-binding or flexibility are required.
Semi-refined paraffin waxes (SRPW) are manufactured from slack waxes by de-oiling the wax to an oil content between 0.5% and 5%. Theses waxes are normally further refined by bleaching or hydrotreating to improve the colour and odour of the wax. SRPW are ideally suited for candle, floor polish and construction board emulsion manufacturing.
Alexwax 600
Congealing Point: 58-62 degrees °C
Colour: White/Translucent
Softening Point – 112 Degrees
Oil Content: 1.5 – 0.5%
A full refined paraffin wax, used for high specification applications, such as jar candles and paper coatings.
Chinese SRPW
Congealing Point
Colour
A semi-refined paraffin wax, used for industrial only applications.
Fully refined paraffin wax (FRPW) is slack wax based, refined to an oil content of maximum 0.5% and hydrotreated to produce a pure white wax suited for many food grade and cosmetic applications. FRPW is a chemical comprising mostly out of normal and branched hydrocarbons. These waxes can by utilised in the production of high quality candles, shoe polishes and explosion emulsions. FRPW is also used as blending components for board coatings, laminating waxes, ‘cool’ melt hot melt adhesives and paper wrappers.
Chinese FRPW
Congealing Point: 58-62 degrees °C
Colour: White / Translucent
Oil Content: <0.5%
The fully refined paraffin wax, used in industrial and food contact applications.
Nippon FRPW
Congealing Point: 58-62 degrees °C
Colour: White / Translucent
Oil Content: <0.5%
The finest fully refined paraffin wax, used in food contact and high performance applications.
Compare paraffin grades
Natural Wax
Cerax supplies natural wax options including palm, sugar cane, montan, carnauba, sunflower and beeswax. Compare their grade-specific properties and origins against the intended formulation, rather than assuming materials from different sources are interchangeable.
Explore the complete natural wax range for the product descriptions, or contact Cerax to discuss selection, documentation and samples.
Palm oil is produced from the fruit of the African and American oil palms and palm kernel oils are from the kernels of the same fruits. Processing of these oils by distillation, crystallisation and hydrogenation produce palm wax and hydrogenated palm stearin (HPS). Depending on the fractions used and the refining processes, Palm wax properties can vary from source to source. Although the chemical composition is different from paraffin waxes, some of the physical properties are similar and can be used as a replacement in certain applications.
Cerax HPS
Hydrogenated palm stearin, suitable for food contact applications. Manufactured from a natural source.
Sunflower wax is obtained from the winterization process of sunflower oil. Sunflower wax consists mainly of esters of fatty acids with fatty alcohols and produce a wax with a melting point between 74 - 80°C. The wax has a high oil binding capacity which makes it a popular component of cosmetic sticks. In cosmetic creams and lotions, sunflower wax provides a non-sticky skin feel and because of the polarity and oil binding properties of the esters, it stabilises water-in-oil emulsions.
Sugar cane wax is extracted from bagasse, a by-product filter residue from the production of sugar from stalks of the sugar cane plant. Sugar cane wax comprises mostly of long chain fatty alcohols and some fatty acids also. The wax in its refined form has a light yellowish colour, is relatively hard and has a melting point around 80°C. Historically sugar cane wax was popular as religious candle wax component but now also used in food and cosmetics.
Cerax Cane Wax
Extracted from sugar cane bagasse, a completely natural wax, used in environmentally sensitive applications.
The source of Carnauba wax is also palm trees, specifically the Carnauba palm that grows in Brazil, and the wax is collected from the leaves of the palm tree after drying.
The wax layer is then beaten off, refined and bleached to different grades.
Chemically the wax consists of aliphatic esters and di-esters predominantly derived from acids and alcohols in the C26-C30 range.
This composition renders a hard, relatively high melting ( 82-86°C) wax, which is easily emulsifiable and produces a good gloss, especially with buffing.
Carnauba wax is very popular for use in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries because of GRAS status in the FDA regulations.
More specific applications are tablet coatings, fruit coatings, furniture and shoe polishes to name a few.
Beeswax is a natural wax produced by honey bees, collected by bee keepers and then refined to purify and improve colour. Chemically the wax consists mainly of long chain aliphatic esters. Beeswax has a relatively low melting point range of 62 to 64 °C and is softer than Carnauba wax. Historically beeswax was very popular for making candles but nowadays it is sought after in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic applications.
Montan Wax is a natural wax obtained by solvent extraction from lignites or brown coal only at a few sites globally. Raw Montan wax is dark and the refined, de-resined grades, yellow in colour. Montan wax consists of long chain fatty alcohols, long chain fatty acids and esters formed by them. The carbon chain length of these range between C26 and C32. The melting point of Montan wax is between 80 and 85°C. In many applications, Montan wax has similar properties and is a good lower cost alternative to Carnauba wax. Montan wax is popular in formulations for shoe, floor and furniture polishes. Montan waxes are oxidised and thereafter esterified with alcohols to produce functionalised waxes for specialised applications.