candle, light source now mostly used for decorative and ceremonial purposes, consisting of wax, tallow, or similar slow-burning material, commonly in cylindrical form but made in many fanciful designs, enclosing and saturating a fibrous wick.
Candles were among the earliest inventions of the ancient world, as shown by candlesticks from Egypt and Crete dating to at least 3000 bc. By the European Middle Ages tallow candles were in wide use: in a Paris tax list of 1292, 71 chandlers, or candlemakers, are named.
In the 19th century a French chemist, Michel-Eugène Chevreul, separated the fatty acid from the glycerin of fat to produce stearic acid, from which superior candles could be made. New processes for producing candle stock appeared in rapid succession. In addition to stearin, two other important sources were found: spermaceti, from the head cavity of the sperm whale, and paraffin wax, from petroleum. A composite of paraffin and stearic acid became the basic candle stock.
In use, heat from the flame liquefies the wax near the base of the wick. The liquid flows upward by capillary action, then is vaporized by the heat. The flame is the combustion of the wax vapour.
Candle-molding machinery, also developed in the 19th century, consists of rows of molds in a metal tank that is alternately heated and cooled. After the molds are cooled, the candles are ejected by pistons. Spools of wicking from the bottom of the machine are threaded through the pistons to pass through the candle mold. As the cooled candles are ejected, the wicks are cut.
The Standard, or International, Candle is a measurement of light source intensity. It was originally defined as a one-sixth-pound candle of sperm wax, burning at the rate of 120 grains per hour. This intensity of light was standardized in 1921 in terms of incandescent lamps, and candles are no longer used for reference.
Modern candles are produced in a wide variety of colours, shapes, and sizes. Beeswax and bayberry wax are occasionally employed as additives, and some candles are scented. Candlemaking has become a popular hobby.