Melt point

Melt point is the temperature at which a solid wax turns completely to liquid. Every wax behaves differently: soy wax generally melts at a lower temperature than beeswax or many paraffin blends, and wax blends sit somewhere in between depending on the ratio of ingredients. Manufacturers list a melt point, or melting range, on their wax packaging or technical data sheet, and that number is the starting point for planning a pour, not the final pour temperature.

Melt point matters because it affects how a wax accepts fragrance and dye, how it releases from a mold, and how it burns once cured. A wax with a higher melt point often needs a larger wick to build a full melt pool, while a lower melt point wax can tunnel if the wick is undersized. Getting melt point and wick size to agree is one of the more common troubleshooting steps for candle makers moving between wax types.

When buying wax, check the technical data sheet rather than guessing from the label alone, since two bags marketed as soy wax can have different melt points depending on the blend. A common mistake is confusing melt point with pour temperature. Melt point is simply where wax turns liquid, while pour temperature is the cooler point at which you actually pour it into a vessel for the best finish.