Carnauba % content?

B

blonzz

New member
According to this information the maximum quality carnauba wax a product can contain is around 30%.

Griot's Garage

Tech Tip

Companies that advertise 100% carnauba in their wax aren't being truthful. The truth is, the maximum carnauba content of a quality carnauba wax is about 30%. Carnauba is rock hard, and to apply it easily to your paint's surface you need petroleum distillates and naphtha to make it workable. We push the envelope with 33% carnauba content.

I see waxes that claim that they contain 51%, 55% and as high as "containing over 60% by volume of ultra pure Brazilian white carnauba."

"contains 61 percent Brazilian No. 1 White Carnauba by volume,.."

What's the truth on these claims?

John
 
Manufacturers often refer to the amount of carnauba content as a percentage of the total waxes in the mix. For example, a product might have 20% wax and 80% non-wax ingredients. If three quarters of the wax was a carnauba type and one quarter was a parafin type, they might market this product as having 75% carnauba wax even though the carnauba would only make up 15% of the total ingredients.

Here is an old thread with a debate about this subject -
Top of the Line question
 
From what I hear, outlandish claims like those of Griots concerning carnauba percentage are nonsense. The wax might be so hard like a brick it wouldn't be spreadable. Actual caranauba content can be surprisingly low. Like they say, a little can go a long way/do quite a bit.
 
I have a wax that I got from Autobacs (great store) that's from japan. I opened it up and it feels pretty amazingly firm. I think that it might be a high overall percentage of carnauba, like 40 or 50. When I get it on my applicator I hardly make an impression where the wax should be coming off. I'll be doing a review of it once it stops raining.
 
tubafeak: exactly the same results I saw when using Collinite #476. I did 3 Accord-size cars and there's barely a depression in the product.

I'm undecided whether I should use Collinite as an LSP or drill a hole in the middle, insert a wick and use it as a candle.

The most exaggerated carnauba-content claims that I've seen are the Xymol ultra-premium carnaubas.
 
30% is in the high range or the limit. Average is between 12 and 18%. Nothing is ever 100% carnauba wax as it would then be a mass of wax that you could not apply to your car. Paste waxes are, usually, on the high side while liquid waxes are on the low side, percent wise, due to liquids having more solvents.
 
Bell said:
30% is in the high range or the limit. Average is between 12 and 18%. Nothing is ever 100% carnauba wax as it would then be a mass of wax that you could not apply to your car. Paste waxes are, usually, on the high side while liquid waxes are on the low side, percent wise, due to liquids having more solvents.
Click to expand...
:yeah
 
Bell said:
Paste waxes are, usually, on the high side while liquid waxes are on the low side, percent wise, due to liquids having more solvents.
Click to expand...

Just to throw yet another curve at you, sometimes the paste and liquid versions of a wax can have the same amount of wax (%) but the solvents used to make each are different, which is how one is liquid and another is paste.

Another thing to consider is that carnauba isn't the only thing in existence that can make paint shine or protect paint/ bead water. Sealants/synthetics are gaining popularity quickly, as they generally last longer than "true" waxes, and the look is appealing to many as well. That said, just because "A" product has X% more wax in it than "B" product, doesn't necessarily mean A is better than B.
 
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