It is generally darker, more viscous, denser, tackier and more elastic than paraffin waxes, and has a higher molecular weight and melting point.
Microcrystalline wax is often used in industries such as tire and rubber, candles, adhesives, corrugated board, cosmetics, castings, and others.
Refineries may use blending facilities to combine paraffin and microcrystalline waxes; this is prevalent in the tire and rubber industries.
Different formulations produce waxes from those soft enough to be molded by hand to those hard enough to be carved with rotary tools.
It was developed by The British Museum in the 1950s to replace the potentially unstable natural waxes that were previously used such as beeswax and carnauba.
Microcrystalline wax was used in the final phases of the restoration of the Cosmatesque pavement, Westminster Abbey, London.
Hybrid petrolatum utilizes a complex mixture of vegetable oils and waxes and combines them with petroleum and micro wax-based technologies.
This allows a formulator to incorporate higher percentages of renewable resources while maintaining the beneficial properties of the petrolatum.