A unit of luminous intensity legalized by the 1860 Metropolitan Gas Act1 (the British Parliamentary candle). The British standard candle was the luminous intensity of an actual standardized candle, made from spermaceti with a melting point of 112°–115°F, with a bit of beeswax added to control brittleness. The length was 10 inches, the bottom diameter 0.9 inches and the top diameter 0.8 inches. It burned at a rate of 120 ± 6 grains per hour. (Some describe the candle as 7⁄8 inch in diameter, weighing 1⁄6th of a troy pound.)
1. 23 & 24 Victoria, chapter 125, paragraph 25 (1860).
From 1898, the Metropolitan Gas Referees Notification (London) candle is 1⁄10th of the output of a Harcourt pentane lamp.
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Last revised: 3 July 2007.