C1 Paraffin Review: Which Paraffin to Buy for Heaters and Lamps

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A paraffin heater or a paraffin lamp is only as good as the fuel in it, and the wrong bottle is an easy mistake to make. Walk into a garage or a DIY shop and you’ll find paraffin, kerosene, heating oil and lamp oil, often on the same shelf. The one you want for anything burning inside your home is C1 paraffin.

This C1 paraffin review explains what the grade means, how it differs from the C2 kerosene sold for oil boilers, and why we’ve picked Clearell Blue Flame: a 20 litre pack of C1 paraffin in four easy-pour 5 litre cans, made for indoor heaters and lanterns.

What Is C1 Paraffin?

UK heating fuels are made to a British Standard, BS 2869, which splits them into classes. Class C1 is the most refined grade of paraffin, low in sulphur and made to burn cleanly in appliances that have no flue, where the fumes go straight into the room. That’s every portable paraffin heater and every paraffin lamp.

You’ll see C1 paraffin sold as premium paraffin, Class 1 paraffin or indoor paraffin. They all mean the same thing. If the bottle says C1 or Class 1 and BS 2869, it’s the right fuel.

Kerosene – Paraffin: Same Fuel, Different Name

Kerosene paraffin is how a lot of fuel and heaters are listed online, and it causes no end of confusion. Kerosene is the name most of the world uses. Paraffin is what we’ve always called it in the UK. The heater you buy may be sold as a kerosene heater and the lamp as a kerosene lamp, but in Britain both run on paraffin.

The catch is that kerosene is also sold in a second grade, and that’s where people go wrong.

C1 vs C2: The Mistake to Avoid

Class C2 is also called kerosene, and in the UK it’s usually sold as heating oil or 28 second burning oil. It’s the fuel delivered by tanker to homes with an oil-fired boiler. C2 is made for appliances with a flue that carries the fumes outside, so it’s not the right fuel for a heater or lamp burning in the room you’re sitting in.

The two can look identical in a clear container, and some C2 is sold in the same 4 and 5 litre cans as C1 paraffin. Always check the label for C1 or Class 1 before you buy paraffin for heaters or lamps you’ll use indoors. If it says C2, Class 2 or heating oil, leave it on the shelf.

Why We Picked Clearell Blue Flame C1 Paraffin

Clearell Blue Flame is a premium Class 1 indoor paraffin, made to BS 2869 C1. It’s highly refined to burn with minimal odour and smoke, and with less soot and residue, which matters when the heater or lamp is in your living room rather than a greenhouse.

It comes as four 5 litre cans rather than one heavy 20 litre drum, so each one is light enough to lift and pour without spilling, and easy to tuck into a shed or garage. It has a long shelf life and resists evaporation, so you can buy it in autumn and it’ll be ready whenever the power goes. Clearell makes it for heating and lighting, which covers both of the jobs this C1 paraffin is likely to do in a power cut.

Paraffin for Heaters

A portable wick heater is the main reason most households buy paraffin fuel. It needs no electricity or batteries, gives proper heat to one room, and carries on whatever the grid is doing. In the paraffin heater we reviewed, a standard 5 litre can of C1 paraffin gives around 15 hours of heat, so this 20 litre pack is roughly 60 hours of warmth.

Paraffin Lamp Oil: Using It for Light

C1 paraffin is also the traditional fuel for paraffin lamps: hurricane lanterns, storm lamps and the classic glass-chimney table lamps. Clearell makes Blue Flame for lanterns as well as heaters, so one supply covers both heat and light in a power cut.

Paraffin lamp oil is sometimes sold separately in small, pricey bottles. For a lamp designed for paraffin, C1 paraffin does the same job and usually costs far less per litre. The one exception is a decorative oil lamp made for a specific lamp oil, so always follow the lamp maker’s instructions on fuel.

Using and Storing Paraffin Safely

Fit a carbon monoxide alarm. Any heater or lamp burning paraffin indoors needs a working CO alarm in the same room. Carbon monoxide has no smell or colour, so an alarm is the only warning you’ll get.

Keep a window open a crack while anything is burning, to let fresh air in and water vapour out.

Fill up when the appliance is off and cool, outside if you can, using a funnel or a hand pump, and wipe up any spills before lighting.

Store it sealed, in its own cans, in a cool, dry place such as a shed or garage, away from heat and out of reach of children. Never decant paraffin fuel into drinks bottles.

What the Rest of the Team Think

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• C1 paraffin to BS 2869, the right grade for indoor heaters and lamps
• Highly refined for minimal odour, smoke and soot
• Four 5 litre cans are easier to lift, pour and store than one 20 litre drum
• Long shelf life and resists evaporation, so it can sit ready until winter
• Made for both heating and lighting, so one supply covers both

Cons

• It’s a fuel, so it needs storing safely in a shed or garage
• You’ll need a funnel or hand pump to fill a heater or lamp cleanly
• Any indoor use needs a CO alarm and a little ventilation
• A 20 litre pack is a fair amount to buy if you only have one small lamp

Frequently Asked Questions