Candle Wick Size Guide

If your candle is tunneling or leaving wax around the sides of the container as it burns down this is likely due to the candle wick being too small. Some solutions to this problem are increasing the size of the wick, or using a softer type of wax. If the candle is smoking or producing excessive soot then it is likely due to too much dye why k is used for thousand or too much fragrance oil in the candle wax mixture or the wick is too large. Some solutions to this problem are reducing the number of additives in the candle or using a smaller wick or a different type of wick. As long as you do not go too large on the double wicks, the benefits usually out weigh the drawbacks for double wick candles.

• Petra Ahnert is a specialty candle designer living in the Milwaukee area, and is the author of Beeswax Alchemy.
• I usually do a variety of different sizes, so that I have the right size for whatever I am making.
• A properly wicked candle burns cleaner and gives reliable burn times and fragrance throw.
• The Flaming Candle Company wick chart is designed to assist in choosing the right wick in the candle making process.
• They have been designed to significantly reduce the “afterglow” and smoke often seen in paper cored wicks.

One of the most important aspects of candle making is finding the right wick size for your candle. A properly wicked candle burns cleaner and gives reliable burn times and fragrance throw. The right wick size will best match the type of candle wax you’re using, and the size (diameter) of the container you’re using to hold the wax and the wick. Only a correctly wicked candle can guarantee an excellent burning performance.

If left to burn all the way, soot will collect on the inside of the container. The container can also become very hot and could damage the surface underneath or even crack. Please note that this chart can only help you narrow down the range of wick sizes. You still need to conduct a wick test as in the next part. So, it’s better to buy at least three sizes of wicks together, which are the recommended size, the size above, and the size below.

Mushrooming

Then choose a wick size that is appropriate for half of the diameter of the jar. For example, a 4” diameter soy wax candle might be suitable wicked with two LX 10 wicks rather than one LX 24 wick. While the wick sizes in the chart should help point you in the right direction, the ideal wick size can vary depending on numerous factors. As we discuss in our post about wicking candles correctly, things such as the container material, thickness and even color can affect how a candle performs. The type of fragrance you use and your fragrance load can also play a role.

With that in mind, the recommendations in this candle wicking chart are not guaranteed to work in all situations. There are simply too many factors at play to make a chart that includes every possible situation. Chances are, anyone who’s ever made a candle has found themselves asking this question! Picking a candle wick can feel like a daunting process, which is why we put together this helpful chart to get you started. This candle wick chart is intended to help you get off on the right foot when you start testing candles.

How To Test A Candle Wick

The only way to really know if you have the right wick size is through testing, but you can use this step-by-step guide to get started on the right track. Now that you know what to look for, adjusting the wick size of your over or under wicked candle is easy. It’s also important to periodically test your candles to ensure that occasional variances in your wax or fragrances https://1investing.in/ still work well with your chosen wick size. If the candle flame is too big then the wick size is too big or the wick needs trimming. You need to try to use a smaller size wick in your test candle or you need to make sure the wick is trimmed to around 1/4 or 5/16 of an inch. Light the candle and let the wax melt from rim to rim before blowing out the flame.

Wooden wicks can add a lovely campfire atmosphere to a room. Some wooden wicks burn like a natural flame, crackling and all. For the best burn, choose a wick that has been treated with a clean-burning agent.

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Further, the wick will finally determine how the candle will burn. In other words, the best candle wicks are those with the right size and type to pair your candle wax and containers. ECO candle wicks are basically a coreless flat braid interwoven with 100% organic cotton and paper fibers that provide great strength. These are self-trimming and clean-burning with minimized mushrooming and a clean burn. Each comes with wick tabs and is pre-coated in soy wax for ease of use. Spending time choosing wax type, color, and scent, to then watch your beautiful candle burn too fast—or not at all—can be frustrating.

In general, colorful candles with strong scents usually require much larger wicks or multi-wicks than those with less oil and color. Wood wicks don’t need to be pre-waxed for a great burn. My favorite wood wicks are made in the U.S. from native, sappy fruit trees and sourced sustainably from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Do candle wicks need to be waxed?

CD 16 and CD 18 are good wick sizes to use when making 8 oz candle tins with 464 soy wax. The wick you choose will depend on how much fragrance oil you put in the candle. Choose the wick size by making a candle using each size wick and then compare the burn profile and burn duration of the candles.

Candle curing is an important part of the candle-making and candle testing process. The longer a candle cures the harder the wax becomes, the harder the wax becomes the hotter the flame required to burn the candle adequately. Without the right candle wick, you could experience problems with tunneling, drowning wick, soot, and no hot scent throw.

That is to say, if you choose to use CD for NatureWax C-3 soy, it might be okay for some designs but not others. You’re going to pick a series to start with, but might change your mind later. Testing is the only way to determine the best wick to use for each candle project. However, a too large wick will lead to smoking or sooting due to incomplete combustion.

Petra Ahnert is a specialty candle designer living in the Milwaukee area, and is the author of Beeswax Alchemy. A beginner’s guide to setting up your candle making workshop with the right supplies and equipment for any budget. The purpose of a normal burn test is just to simulate a somewhat random approach to the candle.

A primed wick is a wick that has been precoated in wax before it is used to make a candle. Primed wicks are easier to light and have a more steady burn. It may be exactly the wick you need depending on the fragrance oil, fragrance oil load, dyes and type of wax you are using.

Step 2: Choose a wick series (or two)

I get caught up in finding the perfect candle container, choosing the candle wax type, combining scents, and determining my fragrance load. The type of candle wicks I’ll use somehow always gets decided at the last minute. Below you’ll find recommended wicks for both beeswax and soy candles. The information in this table reflects candles made without fragrance.

It could burn a candle down too quickly wasting the ingredients and angering your customers and not want to burn at all. Trying to double wick the Aura vessel (Makesy) and Evermore Cylinder (1617) with your new P series wicks and wondered what you recommend. If the wick is mushrooming, the candle is sooting, or the melt pool is substantially deeper than ½” (1.3 cm), the wick is most likely too large.

When burning a candle in the room, we want a pleasant atmosphere around. We all want our candles to burn cleanly,  or even better, to purify the air in the room. A properly wicked candle is able to release less or no soot while burning. In conclusion, several steps are involved when trying to figure out how to choose the right candle wick size. This problem even comes with more than one solution depending on candle size and what type of wick you want to use. After burning for two hours the surface wax should be molten from rim to rim of the container.

In addition, if the container isn’t regularly shaped, the wick may not be able to create an even pool. The wick may be too large and hot so that some particles are still unburned. If you want to read more about the fire testing standards and specifications for candles checkout ASTM F2417. When you are choosing the right candlewick for your candle there should be a few things you want the wick to do for you. If you have any questions or need help using the wick guide, please contact us.

You can check the recommended solutions and adjust the wick size or type. ECO candle wick is a coreless, flat cotton wick braided with thin paper filament throughout. It typically has a rigid, straight structure without the need for a core.

If you’re making taper candles or small votives, parts of this process may not apply. With the exception of wax melts, every candle needs a wick. All the wicks available through CandleScience follow the same rule. Within a series the larger the number, the larger the wick. So an ECO 14 is always bigger than an ECO 10, and an ECO 4 is always smaller than an ECO 6. For instance, an LX-22 may or may not be bigger than an ECO 8.

They feature braided paper fibers that improve the stiffness of the material. This wick has a very soft burn, and they tend to curl a bit when they burn. HTPs are specifically made for use in containers and votives.

We offer a large variety of diameters (sizes) and lengths available in several different series. You may need to experiment to get the correct size and style wick for the candle you are making. We offer sampler kits for each series of wick that we carry. We also offer a master wick sampler kit which contains every wick we offer except the wood wicks. When double-wicking a candle, you will use two wicks instead of one. Instead of basing the wick size on the total diameter of the container, you need to divide the diameter in half.

This test throws all standards out the window and burns the candle for extended amounts of time. The best candle makers choose a wick, burn test, then react (described later on) to make sure the wick is safe and performs well in the candle. The best candle makers know this, and usually won’t fret over their first few choices in wicks; every design has differences. Generally speaking, wicks work well in one set of waxes but not others. The reason these factors matter is each wax has different properties, such as density, melt point, and viscosity (whether it flows like water or molasses).