Ceremony & Religion
Candles remain central to religious observance, remembrance, vigils, holidays, and cultural ceremonies.
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We purchased our PRIMO Melter and EZ system from Melting & Filling Equipment for our ointment and...
Rowena, Herbs From Wales, UNITED KINGDOMRead more - ★★★★★
We love the PRIMO 1000 & PRIMO 2000 we ordered. They are definitely speeding up our wax melt...
Tyson K., Candle Warmers Etc.Read more - ★★★★★
I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you- you are truly a pleasure to do business with....
Shannon D., Pure Light Candle CompanyRead more - ★★★★★
We were so pleased with our melting tank that we ordered another melter the same exact day. It...
Jim, J.C. Danczak, Inc., Westfield, MassachusettsRead more It takes us 15 minutes to do what used to take us 45 minutes. AND, that was just the first day.
Thomas Crane, Purely Wax Werks, Vancouver, WashingtonRead moreWe're growing FAST and that PRIMO 75lb melter is a huge piece of it…we will most likely need one...
Dave D., Dilo HomeRead moreWe are still so happy with the (2) PRIMO 50 melters we bought from you 8 years ago for our soy...
Glenn C., Madeline Island CandlesRead moreWhat used to take me hours, now takes me minutes! Love it!! I will recommend your company to other...
Sonja Minic, Managing Director & Candle Artisan, Green Scents Pure Soy Candles, AustraliaRead moreWe purchased the EZ Filling System and increased our production 50% the first day! Reduced our...
Ellen Kay R., New Boston CandleRead moreI kissed my melter....Thank you!!!!!!!! I sincerely do not know how I did without one! What took me...
Jenny W., HB Wax Manufacturing Inc., Ontario, CANADARead moreWithout the AutoShot system in our facility we would have had extreme backorders and labor costs...
Kevin Preece, COO, Scentsy, Meridian, IdahoRead moreWaxMelters customized our extreme tank exactly the way we needed it. This PRIMO 2000 is even better...
Tom B., Wholistic BotanicalsRead more
History & Development of Candles
Ancient world
Wicked Candles Emerge
Romans are commonly credited with developing early wicked candles by repeatedly dipping rolled papyrus in melted tallow or beeswax. Other cultures developed candles from locally available fats, insects, plants, tree nuts, and waxes.
Middle Ages
Tallow and Beeswax
Tallow candles were widely used in Europe, while cleaner-burning beeswax candles were more expensive and often associated with churches and wealthier households. Candle making became an established trade practiced by chandlers.
Colonial era
Local Raw Materials
Colonial candle makers used tallow and experimented with bayberry wax. Bayberry produced a clean, aromatic candle but required large quantities of berries for a relatively small wax yield.
Late 18th century
Spermaceti
Spermaceti from the sperm-whale industry produced a harder, brighter, lower-odor candle than tallow and was important in the development of standardized candlepower measurements.
1820s
Stearin and Better Wicks
Stearin chemistry and braided, self-trimming wick construction improved candle hardness, flame behavior, and consistency.
1834
Mechanized Molded-Candle Production
Joseph Morgan developed a machine that used a cylinder and movable piston to eject candles as they solidified, enabling continuous production of molded candles and helping make candles more affordable.
1850s
Paraffin Wax
Refined paraffin became commercially viable. It was economical, relatively clean burning, and compatible with industrial production; stearic acid helped address early paraffin's low melting point.
Late 19th century
Electric Lighting Changes the Market
As kerosene and electric lighting displaced candles as everyday illumination, candles increasingly became ceremonial, decorative, emergency, and gift products.
20th to 21st centuries
Fragrance, Design and Specialized Waxes
The market expanded through scented container candles, decorative formats, specialty blends, soy- and palm-derived systems, gels, synthetic waxes, improved vessels, automated filling, and more sophisticated safety testing.
Why Candles Persisted After Electric Light
Atmosphere & Fragrance
Modern candles combine flame, color, vessel design, and fragrance to shape the atmosphere of homes, hospitality spaces, and events.
Craft & Manufacturing
Candle production spans hand-poured artisan batches, private-label manufacturing, institutional supply, and high-volume automated filling.
Notes on Historical Accuracy
The earlier version mixed documented history with personal recollection and several precise claims that lacked clear sourcing. This revision uses cautious language where origins are uncertain and relies primarily on the National Candle Association's historical overview.
Sources & Further Reading
Related Candle Manufacturing Resources
From Ancient Craft to Modern Production
Explore equipment for melting, holding, transfer, filling, dipping, and candle manufacturing.
View Candle Manufacturing EquipmentSources
Melt · fill · finish energy
Finished Candles: The Look Buyers Feel
Four finished looks in one square: jars, color runs, wax blocks and boutique glow that match melt, hold and heated fill on WaxMelters gear.
Illustrative lifestyle imagery for candle production vibe. Not a claim about specific equipment in the photos.
History of candles
From Early Light Sources to Modern Production Candles
A concise history of candles as lighting, ritual and manufactured goods - written so production buyers understand how materials and formats evolved into today's container, pillar and specialty candle lines.
Then and now
Materials Changed - Controlled Heat Still Wins
Early Materials
Tallow, beeswax and early wax sources.
Industrial Era
Stearin, paraffin and scaled manufacturing.
Modern Formats
Containers, pillars, tapers and specialty SKUs.
Equipment Link
History leads to modern melters and fillers.
Viscosity at operating temperature
What Viscosity Means on This Page
Every era of candle making still needed workable wax flow - today we call that viscosity at pour temperature and size PRIMO tanks around it.
What It Is
How thick the batch is at the temperature you actually melt, hold, transfer or fill, not room temperature on the bench.
Why Heat Matters
Heat lowers viscosity so product moves through a heated pump, hose and fill head without setting in the line.
What We Size
Tank family, pump, heated hose and head around viscosity at operating temperature, plus elevation and hose length.
Fill Condition: keep temperature and viscosity at the dispense pointHigh-viscosity pump options on EZ-1, AutoShot, Quattro and Octo
Technical shortlist
Equipment Notes From the Old Production Guides
Modern PRIMO Melt
Waterless control replaces open-fire and crude pots.
Heated Fill
Production consistency for jar lines.
Library Context
Pair history with facts and materials pages.
USA Equipment
Built for today's candle manufacturers.
Quick answers
FAQs
Is this a buying guide?
It is context - jump to equipment hubs when you are ready to size a line.
What page is next?
History of candle-making equipment, then live candle equipment.
Next Step
Modernizing a line? Send wax type, batch size and container format.
