2007年，蜡行业很多的进展情况对行业造成了深远的影响。这一年开始于石蜡供应紧张的过渡阶段。当时，2005年9月和10月两场大的飓风袭击了海湾石油蜡的生产设备，同时，从中国的进口几乎为零。同时在2007年初，原油价格是下降的，原油价格在继2006年9月的70.25美元/桶的历史纪录后下降到48.5美元/桶。从2007年1月份开始，炼油厂经历了稳定的不断爬升的原油购买价格，在12月中旬，原油价格涨到85美元/桶。
    由于全球石油，天然气以及建筑材料价格的上涨，埃克森美孚石油（ExxonMobil）3月份宣布取消了该公司在卡塔尔8万桶/天的GTL项目，但是在同一天，英荷壳牌（Royal Dutch Shell）为在卡塔尔7万桶/天的GTL项目奠基。同时，Oryx GTL 公司，卡塔尔石油公司和沙索德合资公司声称，他们已经生产了第一批产品并与2007年3月底开始运输。
    2007年3月，加利福尼亚州斯托克顿的Duraflame公司宣布2007年4月底将不在壁炉碳的生产中使用石蜡。该公司说，在未来的30年里该公司产品将使用非石蜡的天然产品。该公司的Duraflame品牌产品中将有1亿磅石蜡被取代。但是该公司并没有标明其生产的其它品牌壁炉碳产品生产有任何变动。
    在能源信息管理局对炼油厂的管理信息数据中，值得注意的是从2007年4月份开始，包括犹他州在内的洛基山山脉地区（PADD4）没有石蜡生产，只有Flying J公司在列。洛基山山脉地区（PADD4）在2006年的蜡产量为1.71亿磅。
    5月底，欧盟委员会对埃克森美孚石油和沙索公司联合违反欧盟条约81款关于石蜡市场禁止垄断和限制性贸易条款提出异议。在早些时候，美国司法部已经宣布结束了对美国蜡市场实际情况的调查。
    预计在未来几十年内全球蜡供给减少的情况下，沙索公司宣布了将南非费托蜡生产能力扩大一倍的意图。这项工程将分两个阶段完成，第一阶段将于2010年投入运营，第二阶段将于2013年投入运营。当前，沙索公司在南非的费托蜡产能为24万桶/年，即5.3亿磅。
    7月份，中国政府宣布了要减少2800种产品包括石蜡在内的产品出口退税。在此之前，中国政府已经将石蜡产品的出口退税由13%调整到5%，这次又将退税减到0。这一决定将增加中国石蜡出口的成本。
    Ciba 公司宣布他们已经签署了关于推广营销蜡替代材料（WAX TM）Spectra-Kote的生产线的协议。该生产线将允许瓦楞箱生产商生产不添加石蜡的瓦楞产品。
    10月份壳牌石油德国公司宣布在2008年中间，将取消在德国格拉斯伯鲁克石蜡和特种蜡的生产。他们公司将于2008年4月关闭包括硬石蜡、软蜡、粗蜡、混合蜡、石蜡、凝胶剂、石油冻，医药级白油的生产。格拉斯伯鲁克的石蜡生产厂的产能为5500万磅/年。随着这家工厂的关闭，西欧的石蜡供给将比2005年减少4.2亿磅。
    科莱恩公司（Clariant International Ltd）改进了一套聚乙烯和聚丙烯蜡金属茂催化的生产线。该产品已经被指定用Licocene 作为商标。
    10月份，科莱美公司宣布已经将康非公司（ConocoPhillips）和M.E.Zuckerman 特种油公司（M.E.Zuckerman）下的Penreco公司兼并。这次兼并花掉了科莱美公司约2.4亿美元，包括Penreco公司在宾夕法尼亚洲Karns City及得克萨斯州Dickinson的炼厂。Penreco 公司生产白油、冷冻油、压缩润滑油、石油冻，天然油脂电缆填充膏和石油冻等。Penreco 公司还曾经和鹏斯·桂冠达公司(Pennzoil-Quaker Oil )和康非石油（Conoco）合作。这次兼并根据条款和合约规定于2007年第四季度完成。
    在本年度润滑油及石蜡年会上，Kline 公司的Geeta Agashe发表了全球石蜡行业的机遇和挑战的论文。这篇论文覆盖了各主要地区的石蜡概况以及蜡种类的详细分解，该论文还对全球主要的石油脱油厂商和费托蜡供应商进行了深入分析。
    在这次年会上，CARGILL 公司的DEL CRAIG也作了对植物油进行置换反应后加氢的对新的植物油加工的论文。这种蜡在弹性和塑性方面有明显的提高，同时在熔点、极性、模拟蜂蜡和棕榈蜡等天然蜡的能力，硬度等方面也有明显的改善。这种蜡包括高熔点的蜡，延展性较好的豆蜡，蜡冻，石油替代品，轻质油和脂类。
    在这次会议上，另外一篇论文是MY ENERGY公司的Amy Claxton发表的全球F-T业务更新。随着卡塔尔四家GTL工厂建设的取消或拖迟，基于GTL技术的大量的润滑基础油生产预期也将减少，这为正在建设中的新的二类和三类基础油工厂创造了机会。
    During 2007, a number of developments had an impact on the petroleum wax industries that are going to be long lasting. The year started with the industry in transition from a period of short supply as a result of the impact of two hurricanes that hit Gulf Coast wax production facilities in September and October of 2005 and reduced imports from China to one in which demand appears to have all but collapsed. Also, at the start of 2007, crude prices were declining, and hit a low of $48.50 a barrel in January after having hit a record $70.25 a barrel in September of 2007. From the low of January 2007, refiners acquisition costs for crude began a steady but erratic climb so that by the middle of December, they were up to $85.00 per barrel.
    As a result of the global escalation in the cost of petroleum, natural gas and construction materials, ExxonMobil announced in March that it had cancelled plans to build an 80,000 bd Gas-To-Liquids(GTL) plant in Qatar. At the same time, Oryx GTL, a joint venture of Qatar Petroleum and Sasol reported that it had produced it first product and would start shipping product by the end of March 2007.
    In March of 2007, Duraflame, Inc., Stockton, CA announced that effective at the end of April of 2007. It would discontinue the use of petroleum wax in the production of its Duraflame Firelogs. After over 30 years, the company said it was going all natural by making the switch to non-petroleum waxes. The company stated that replacing petroleum wax will displace an estimated 100 million pounds of wax annually in its Duraflame branded products. The company also manufactures private label firelogs but there was no mention of any change in these products.
    It was also noted in Energy Information Agency data for refinery operations, that since April 2007 data, there was no wax produced in PAD 4 which includes Utah where there is only one listed wax producer, Flying J. In2006, wax production in PAD 4 had amounted to 171 million pounds.
    At the end of May, the European Commission issued a statement of objections to ExxonMobil and Sasol Wax alleging that they violated Article 81 of the EC Treaty that bans cartels and restrictive trade practices with regard to marketing of paraffin waxes. Earlier, the U.S. Dept. of Justice, announced that it had closed its investigation of wax marketing practices in the U.S.
    In anticipation of the declining global supply of petroleum waxes forecast over the next decade, Sasol Wax announced its intention to double production of F-T waxes in South Africa. The project will be implemented in two phases with the first phase coming into operation in 2010 and the second phase in 2013. The current capacity of Sasol’s F-T facility in South Africa is 240 ktpa(530 million pounds).
    In July, the Chinese government announced that it was reducing the rebate on export taxes on 2800 products including petroleum waxes. Earlier the Chinese government had reduced the rebate from 13 percent to five percent and in the latest move, the rebate was reduced to zero. This move was expected to result in an increase in the cost of petroleum waxes from China.
    Ciba announced that it had signed an agreement to market Spectra-Kote’s line of wax alternative materials(WAMTM)which allow corrugated box makers to produce wax free corrugated products.
    Shell Deutschland Oil GmbH announced in October that by the middle of 2008 it would cease the production of wax and wax specialties at Grashbrook, Germany. The shut down will begin in April 2008 and includes hard paraffins, soft paraffins, slack waxes, wax blends, petroleum jellies, petrolatum and medicinal white oils. The Grasbrook site is estimated to have capacity to produce 55 million pounds per year of waxes. With the shutdown of wax production at the site, Western European capacity for petroleum waxes has been reduced by 420 million pounds since 2005.
    Clariant International Ltd has developed a line of polyethylene and polypropylene waxes using metallocene catalysts have been designated with the trade name Licocene.
    In October, Calumet announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Penreco Co. from ConocoPhillips and M.E. Zuckerman Specialty Oil Corp. The acquisition will cost Calumet approximately $240 million and includes Pereco’s plants in Karns City, PA and Dickinson, Tex. Pereco manufactures white oils, refrigeration oils, compressor lubricants, petrolatums, natural petroleum sulfonates cable filling compounds and gelled products. Pereco had been a partnership of Pennzoil-Quaker Oil and Conoco, Inc. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2007 subject to conditions and regulatory approvals.
At the annual NPRA Lubricants and Waxes Meeting Geeta Agashe of Kline & Co. presented a paper on the “Global Opportunities And Threats In the Wax Business”. The study includes a broad overview of all major regional markets, a breakdown of all types of wax, an in-depth profile of the leading suppliers of petroleum waxes, de-oilers and F-T wax suppliers.
    Also at the NPRA meeting, Del Craig of Cargill Co. presented a paper on the development of novel vegetable waxes by the metathesis of vegetable oils followed by hydrogenation. These new waxes show significant improvement in flexibility and plasticity. They also have improved melt point range, polarity, and ability to mimic natural waxes such as beeswax, carnauba, and hardness. These include high melting waxes, more malleable waxes, gels, a petrolatum substitute, light oils and esters.
    Another paper presented at the meeting was entitled “Global Gas To Liquid Update” by Amy Claxton of My Energy. With the cancellation or postponement of four GTL plants in Qatar, the large amounts of lube base oils from GTL that were expected has been reduced. This has created opportunities for new Group II and III base oils plants which are currently under construction.