AAK Golden Wax 464 (Now Made In Europe)
Liked Golden Wax 464? You're going to love its European cousin!
Manufactured in Sweden by the wax giant AAK, this container candle wax offers the same basic formulation as the popular Golden Wax 464 made in the US, but with enhanced performance.
Crafted from responsibly sourced soybean oil, European Golden Wax 464 is both GMO-free and vegan-friendly, and AAK, known for its strong commitment to sustainability, ensures that this wax is produced with the utmost respect for the environment and the people involved.
In close collaboration with AAK, we have fine-tuned this product specifically for candle making, bringing you exceptional results that will set your candles apart from the competition. With this exceptional container candle wax in your toolbox, you'll experience excellent scent throw, reduced risk of frosting compared to the US Golden Wax 464, good glass adhesion, vibrant colours, and the delight of beautifully smooth surfaces between burns (unlike the rough texture of the US version).
Unlike its US counterpart, European Golden Wax 464 exhibits a pale appearance when first melted. It transforms into its characteristic golden hue only when left melted at a high temperature (70°C and above) overnight. This wax also offers remarkable forgiveness, allowing for pouring at higher temperatures and offering a wider range of pouring temperatures that yield excellent candles.
This wax is available in 1kg as well as 12.5kg flake boxes and 25kg block boxes that are perfect for saving space and embarking on high-yield candle projects.
Learn how to migrate from the US Golden Wax 464 to this fantastic European version here.
For optimal results, we recommend melting and stirring larger blocks completely, as slight variations in component distribution can occur during box cooling.
Wick suggestions
- For 9cl candles: TCR 15/08, TCR 18/10
- For 20cl candles: TCR 21/12, TCR 24/14
- For 30cl candles: TCR 30/18, TCR 33/20
We recommend conducting a 2-day first stage of curing for wick testing, keeping the candles at ambient temperature, and a second stage of curing for scent throw for 7 to 14 days.
Love the idea of making European Golden Wax 464 your go-to soy container candle wax but unsure how to switch your recipes from the US version? We’re here to help. Our in-house lab of expert candle makers has prepared a full guide on how to migrate to European Golden 464 from its US version. While you’ll still need to test your candles to make sure their performance is to your liking and that they meet safety standards, these top tips should help you switch to European Golden Wax 464 without cluster headaches!
How do both versions compare?
How to work with European Golden Wax 464
Set up:
Like the US version, European Golden Wax 464 is best used in a working and storage environment that is draught-free and around 18 to 25°C. Contrary to its US cousin, however, you shouldn’t need to preheat your vessels to get good glass adhesion. Just make sure you keep them in your balmy studio and you’re good to go!
Fragrance content:
With US Golden Wax 464, we would typically recommend an 8% fragrance content to give good results as higher contents can have an adverse impact on the surface appearance. Using the same content with the European version would still give good cold and hot scent throws. That being said, the European wax can take a higher fragrance content without compromising the aspect of the candles. So for a more powerful scent throw, you can up the content to 10% fragrance.
Working Temperatures:
While the melting and fragrance addition temperatures are similar for both versions of Golden Wax 464, the biggest difference lies in their recommended pouring temperature. European Golden Wax 464 can comfortably be poured at 60 to 70°C, while the pouring temperature of the US version needed to be lowered to 60°C to get good results. This saves you some time in your candle-making process!
Wicking:
When wicking a European Golden Wax 464 candle, we would recommend switching from a Stabilo family (the typical choice for the US Golden Wax 464) to a TCR family then drop the wick size slightly if necessary. For example, if your US Golden Wax 464 30cl candle had a Stabilo 16 wick, then a TCR 27/16 should do the trick for European Golden Wax 464.
