chemical · input
Paraffin (petroleum-refining byproduct), soy and palm wax for candles. Paraffin ties candle cost to refinery slack-wax output; soy/palm are the bio-based substitutes.
8
Source countries
4
Companies
2
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
2 essential American goods rely on candle wax (paraffin/soy/palm) somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| CNChina | 29% |
| MYMalaysia | 22% |
| ZASouth Africa | 18% |
| CACanada | 17% |
| JPJapan | 5% |
| DEGermany (Federal Republic of Germany) | 3% |
| TWTaiwan | 1% |
| INIndia | 1% |
Who makes it
4 companies produce candle wax (paraffin/soy/palm).
Largest specialty asphalt/bitumen producer in the US for roofing applications. Operates three roofing-focused refineries: Princeton, LA (primary roofing flux); Shreveport, LA; Great Falls, MT. Princeton refinery specializes in roofing flux and coating asphalt for shingle manufacturing. Key supplier to GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed and other shingle makers.
Largest privately held company in the US by revenue (~$160B in FY2024). Cargill Protein – North America processes beef and pork with major plants at Dodge City KS (one of the world's largest beef plants), Schuyler NE (4,800 cattle/day, 2.7M lbs/day), Wichita KS (beef). ~22% of US beef packing (mid-2000s estimate; current share may be slightly lower). Also a major agricultural commodity trader, animal feed maker, and food ingredient supplier. Cargill's private structure means no public financial disclosure — making supply chain risk assessment harder. The Cargill family holds the majority of shares, making it the wealthiest private US company.
South African integrated energy and chemicals company (JSE/NYSE-listed); unique in the LAB market for using Fischer-Tropsch (FT) wax cracking to produce its own normal paraffins (NP) — the LAB feedstock — rather than sourcing from oil refineries. Sasol operated LAB plants in Lake Charles, Louisiana (USA) and Augusta, Sicily (Italy); both were mothballed in Q2-Q3 2025 due to 'decline in competitiveness due to energy costs in Europe and market oversupply.' Also produces synthetic fuels, commodity chemicals, and specialty chemicals from coal- and gas-based FT processes in South Africa.
Major maker of refined paraffin, soy and specialty waxes incl. candle-blend waxes.
