Paraffin Wax, Slack Wax & Microcrystalline Wax

Petroleum waxes are refinery products of lube-oil dewaxing, and four trades carry most of the enquiries: fully refined paraffin wax (HS 2712.20, less than 0.75% oil), semi-refined paraffin wax (2712.20 or 2712.90 depending on the oil figure), slack wax (HS 2712.90), and microcrystalline wax (HS 2712.90) and petroleum jelly (HS 2712.10). All are bought on the certificate of analysis: melting point by ASTM D87 or congealing point by ASTM D938, oil content by ASTM D721, Saybolt colour by ASTM D156 and needle penetration by ASTM D1321, with drop melting point by ASTM D127 for microcrystalline wax and petrolatum. Fully refined grades carry at or below about 0.5% oil (China's GB/T 446-2010 allows 0.8% for its No. 58 grade), semi-refined about 0.5-1.5%, and slack wax from about 5% to 35%. UN Comtrade 2024 export declarations put HS 2712.20 at USD 1.69 billion and 1.29 million MT (China USD 770 million, Malaysia USD 151 million, Germany USD 130 million, South Africa USD 119 million, the Netherlands USD 112 million, Egypt USD 62 million), HS 2712.90 at USD 1.76 billion (the USA USD 262 million, the Netherlands USD 165 million, Germany USD 143 million, China USD 132 million, Egypt USD 130 million) and HS 2712.10 at USD 384 million (India USD 102 million, Germany USD 67 million, the USA USD 65 million). Those are declared export values, not offers.

The buyers are candle and match makers, paper and packaging converters, particle board, MDF and OSB mills that size with slack wax emulsions, rubber and cable compounders, hot-melt and adhesive producers, and cosmetics makers. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers petroleum waxes from refineries in China (Fushun and Daqing grades), India, Germany, Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand, Poland, the USA, Japan and South Korea. Wax attracts many paper offers, so every offer is screened on documents: the certificate of analysis names the producing refinery and lot, the certificate of origin matches the load port and the refinery's country, and the safety data sheet comes from the same producer. An unnamed refinery, a load port in another country from the stated origin, a price far below the refinery's own market or fees asked before a proforma are the usual red flags. Food use in the USA is under 21 CFR 172.886 and 21 CFR 178.3710, offered only where the refinery certifies the grade. Slabs, pastilles, bags and drums move in 20-ft or 40-ft dry containers on FOB, CFR and CIF terms, priced per MT on grade; minimum orders are confirmed per product and pack. Send the product, melting point, oil content, form, volume and discharge port, and the enquiry is screened and worked against it.