Beeswax
Beeswax is the wax secreted by worker honey bees to build the comb, recovered by melting and filtering the comb after the honey is extracted. It is a hard, plastic wax of long chain esters, hydrocarbons and free fatty acids, and it has no synthetic equivalent that behaves the same way. It goes into candles, cosmetics and skincare, pharmaceutical ointments and coatings, food glazes and coatings, comb foundation for the beekeeping industry itself, polishes for wood and leather, lost wax casting, textile and thread finishing, and modelling and dental compounds.
Listed beeswax markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Beeswax is graded on the pharmacopoeia constants that define the wax chemically, on colour and cleanliness, and on the adulteration screen. The constants are what a formulator buys; the colour is what the candle trade buys.
Pharmacopoeia constants
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Drop pointDegrees Celsius, range | The defining physical constant, and the first test on any lot. |
| Acid valueMilligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram, range | Titration of the free fatty acids. |
| Ester valueMilligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram, range | Calculated from the saponification and acid values. The ester fraction is what makes the wax behave as it does. |
| Saponification valueMilligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram, range | Total esters plus free acids. |
| Ratio numberValue, range | Ester value divided by acid value. The classical adulteration screen, because most cheap additions move it off range. |
| Peroxide valueMilliequivalents of oxygen per kilogram, maximum | Rises with oxidation and with overheating during rendering. |
| Saponification cloud testPass or fail | A pharmacopoeia identity test that fails in the presence of several common adulterants. |
| Glycerol and other polyolsPercentage by mass, maximum | Screens for the addition of fats and tallow. |
Colour, form and cleanliness as contracted articles
9 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Grade AYellow, filtered, free of debris and slumgum | Fully filtered, uniform light to golden yellow, clean fracture, characteristic honey aroma, no burnt note, no propolis smell, no visible foreign matter. The cosmetic, pharmaceutical and premium candle article. |
| Grade BYellow to amber, filtered, minor colour variation | Filtered but darker or less uniform, from older comb or a hotter render. Suits general candle, polish and industrial use. |
| Grade CDark, coarse filtered | Dark brown wax from old brood comb or from a hard render. Contracted for industrial use, or for refining, and never delivered against a Grade A specification. |
| Cappings waxDeclared | Rendered from the honey cappings alone. The palest and cleanest wax a hive produces, and it is contracted as its own article. |
| White beeswaxDeclared, with the bleaching route | Bleached by sunlight, by filtration through activated carbon or by a chemical route. The route is named, because destination markets and organic standards differ on what they permit. |
| Organic beeswaxCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | Rendered from comb in a certified organic apiculture operation. The acaricide residue screen is the substance of the claim. |
| FormDeclared | Block, slab, pastille, pellet, bead or sheet foundation. Pellets carry a premium for handling and a penalty for surface oxidation. |
| Foreign matter and slumgumPercentage by mass, maximum | Determined after remelting and filtration. Propolis, cocoon debris, pollen and dirt. |
| MoisturePercentage by mass, maximum | Water trapped during rendering. It spits in a candle and it corrodes drums. |
Adulteration and residue screening
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Hydrocarbon profile by gas chromatographyPass or fail against the reference profile | Detects paraffin and microcrystalline wax addition, which the constants alone can miss at low levels. |
| Stearic acid and stearinPercentage by mass, maximum | The classical adulterant, detected by the acid and ester values together with chromatography. |
| Carnauba, candelilla and other vegetable waxesPass or fail | Identified by their own marker compounds. |
| Acaricide residuesMilligrams per kilogram, maximum, by substance | Coumaphos, tau-fluvalinate, amitraz metabolites and thymol. Lipophilic compounds concentrate in the wax rather than the honey, so this is the defining residue test for the article and it matters most for comb foundation. |
| Pesticide multi-residue screenMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Against the destination market limits, particularly where the wax enters cosmetic or pharmaceutical manufacture. |
| Heavy metalsMilligrams per kilogram, maximum | Lead and cadmium by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. |
Documentation and delivery
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| CertificationCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | Organic, fair trade, kosher, halal or a private buyer standard, named on the contract when it is contracted. |
| TraceabilityDeclared, to apiary or to collection centre | Beekeeper or cooperative, apiary location and harvest batch. It is the only defence against an origin claim. |
| PackingDeclared | Drums, pails, cartons or blocks, with the liner specified. It is a delivery term and it is priced. |
| Sampling planDeclared | How many drums are sampled and by whom. Hive products are heterogeneous between drums, so the plan is written before the cargo moves. |
| Pharmacopoeia grade documentationDeclared | Where the wax goes into pharmaceutical or cosmetic manufacture, the certificate of analysis references the monograph and the manufacturing site operates to ISO 22716. |
| Rendering methodDeclared | Solar, steam or hot water rendering, and whether the wax was filtered hot or cold. It drives the colour, the aroma and the peroxide value. |
Grades outside this list trade on request. Send us the contract specification you work to and we will price against it.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | Oromia, Amhara, Southern Nations, Tigray | Origin and destination |
| Tanzania | Tabora, Singida, Kigoma, Katavi | Origin and destination |
| Zambia | North Western, Copperbelt | Origin and destination |
| Kenya | Baringo, West Pokot, Kitui | Origin and destination |
| Uganda | Northern, West Nile | Origin and destination |
| Cameroon | Northwest, Adamawa | Origin and destination |
| Angola | Moxico, Bie | Origin and destination |
| Mozambique | Niassa, Zambezia | Origin and destination |
| Nigeria | Kaduna, Kwara, Oyo | Origin and destination |
| Madagascar | Highlands, Sava | Origin and destination |
| China | Zhejiang, Hubei, Sichuan, Henan | Origin and destination |
| India | Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar | Origin and destination |
| Vietnam | Dak Lak, Dong Nai | Origin and destination |
| Indonesia | Java, Sumatra | Origin and destination |
| Philippines | Luzon, Mindanao | Origin and destination |
| Turkiye | Mugla, Ordu, Adana | Origin and destination |
| Ukraine | Vinnytsia, Poltava, Kyiv | Origin and destination |
| Poland | Lublin, Podlasie | Origin and destination |
| Romania | Banat, Muntenia | Origin and destination |
| Bulgaria | Thrace | Origin and destination |
| Spain | Andalusia, Castile and Leon | Origin and destination |
| France | Occitanie, Provence | Origin and destination |
| Italy | Piedmont, Sicily | Origin and destination |
| Germany | Nationwide | Origin and destination |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires, Entre Rios, Santa Fe | Origin and destination |
| Brazil | Piaui, Ceara, Rio Grande do Sul | Origin and destination |
| Chile | Araucania, Bio Bio | Origin and destination |
| Uruguay | Canelones | Origin and destination |
| Mexico | Yucatan, Campeche, Jalisco | Origin and destination |
| Guatemala | Peten | Origin and destination |
| United States | North Dakota, California, Florida, Montana | Origin and destination |
| Canada | Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba | Origin and destination |
| Australia | New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria | Origin and destination |
| New Zealand | Waikato, Bay of Plenty | Origin and destination |
| Netherlands | Nationwide | Destination |
| Belgium | Nationwide | Destination |
| United Kingdom | Nationwide | Destination |
| Switzerland | Nationwide | Destination |
| Japan | Nationwide | Destination |
| South Korea | Nationwide | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Nationwide | Destination |
| Saudi Arabia | Nationwide | Destination |
| South Africa | Nationwide | Destination |
| Singapore | Nationwide | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest here is when the comb is rendered at origin, which follows the honey extraction. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is rendering, filtering, blocking, laboratory clearance and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest May to Jan, arrival Jan to SepWax is recovered after the honey harvests, the main one following the long rains. Ethiopia is the largest African source and the traditional supplier of the pale traditional-hive wax the European candle trade buys. | ||
| Tanzania | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Jun to Dec, arrival Jan to OctTwo recovery periods following the miombo woodland honey flows. | |||
| Zambia | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Aug, arrival Jul to OctRecovered after the miombo season, shipped through Durban and Dar es Salaam. | ||||||
| India | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Mar to Jan, arrival Jan to JulWax follows the mustard and litchi flow in the spring and the multiflora flow after the monsoon. | |||
| China | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Oct, arrival Jul to DecRecovered through the long northward flowering season, and the largest single volume in world trade. | ||||
| Argentina | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jan to Apr, arrival Mar to JunRecovered after the austral summer extraction. Clean, pale cappings wax. | ||||||
| Brazil | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Oct to Mar, arrival Dec to MayRecovered through the southern and northeastern flows, and the main source of certified organic wax. | ||||
| Turkiye | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Oct, arrival Aug to DecRecovered after the pine and highland flows, largely into domestic cosmetic manufacture. | |||||
| Ukraine | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jun to Sep, arrival Aug to NovRecovered after the acacia and sunflower flows. | ||||||
| United States | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jul to Oct, arrival Aug to NovRecovered after the northern plains extraction, and largely consumed domestically by the cosmetic and comb foundation trades. | |||||||
| Mexico | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jan to May, arrival Mar to JulRecovered after the Yucatan dry season extraction. | |||||
| Vietnam | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Apr to Jul, arrival Jun to SepRecovered after the coffee and rubber blossom flows. |
Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including carry, forward positions and stock already sitting in a destination warehouse.
Customs, packing and contract terms
Indicative terms for beeswax. Tariff classification is the importer’s responsibility and limits change, so confirm both against the destination customs authority and the current regulation before you fix a contract.
- HS heading1521.90 Beeswax and other insect waxes, whether or not refined or coloured
- PackingHoney in 300 kg food grade steel or HDPE drums, or 25 kg pails. Beeswax in 25 kg blocks or slabs on pallets. Propolis chilled in lined cartons.
- Container loading20ft: 20 t to 22 t of honey in 80 drums. Beeswax at 18 t to 20 t. Keep honey below 25 degrees Celsius to protect HMF and diastase.
- Contract and arbitrationSale on specification with a certificate of analysis covering moisture, HMF, diastase activity, C4 sugar and, increasingly, NMR profiling. Arbitration under ICC rules or at the contract seat.
- Destination limitsEU Honey Directive 2001/110 as amended by Directive 2024/1438 with mandatory origin labelling, veterinary drug residue limits under Regulation 37/2010 with chloramphenicol and nitrofurans at zero tolerance, the third country residue monitoring plan requirement under Regulation 2022/1646, adulteration screening by NMR and EA-IRMS, and pyrrolizidine alkaloid limits under Regulation 2023/915.
Common questions
What grades of beeswax does SIP Global trade?
We quote 29 published grades of beeswax, including Drop point - Degrees Celsius, range, Acid value - Milligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram, range, Ester value - Milligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram, range, Saponification value - Milligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram, range, Ratio number - Value, range and Peroxide value - Milliequivalents of oxygen per kilogram, maximum. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is beeswax graded?
Beeswax is graded on the pharmacopoeia constants that define the wax chemically, on colour and cleanliness, and on the adulteration screen. The constants are what a formulator buys; the colour is what the candle trade buys. Grading runs on 4 systems: Pharmacopoeia constants, Colour, form and cleanliness as contracted articles, Adulteration and residue screening and Documentation and delivery.
Where does SIP Global trade beeswax?
We trade beeswax in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Angola and Mozambique and 36 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is beeswax harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are Ethiopia: harvest may to jan, arrival jan to sep; Tanzania: harvest jun to dec, arrival jan to oct; Zambia: harvest may to aug, arrival jul to oct; India: harvest mar to jan, arrival jan to jul; China: harvest may to oct, arrival jul to dec. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.
What is the HS code for beeswax?
Beeswax is normally classified under HS 1521.90 (beeswax and other insect waxes, whether or not refined or coloured). The heading follows the form the goods are in at the border, and national tariffs extend it beyond six digits, so confirm the full line with the destination customs authority before you fix a contract.
How do I get a price for beeswax?
Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 1 listed beeswax market is published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.
Standards and data sources
The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.
- ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
- UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.