Wicking Container Candles
In a properly wicked container candle:
- The flame is approximately 1" tall, not flickering excessively
- Wax melts across top of the container from edge to edge
- The melt pool is 1/4 - 3/4" deep
- Wax burns cleanly at the flame without smoke or soot
- After candle has burned from top to bottom, wax is completely consumed leaving the sides clean.
How to choose the right wick:
Step 1.) Go to our wick guide home page and view our wick recommendation chart. Follow the prompts:
Step 2.) Find your wax on the chart and then find the diameter of your container
Step 3.) You will see the recommended wick size for your candle where your selected wax and candle diameter intersect on the chart.
We recommend you use the wick guide as a starting point to conduct your own testing as we cannot guarantee that the recommended wick will work perfectly in you in your candles.
Note: It's a good idea to first purchase a wick sample kit of the recommended wick series so you can test different sizes without purchasing a large bag of one wick size. Wick up one or two sizes if you're using more than 1 oz. of fragrance oil per pound of wax, if you're using a dense fragrance, and/or a lot of dye or dark colors. Wick down a size or two if using less than 1 oz. of fragrance oil, a thin fragrance, or no dye.
Testing Candles
Prepare the test candles:
- Make 2-3 candles using the same size containers, wax and fragrance/dye combination.
- Put a different size wick of the same series in each candle.
- Label jars with wick size.
- Wait at least 24 hours before starting the burn test.
Burn Test
Check out our article How to Conduct a Burn Test for specific burn testing directions and our Tutorial Video: Choosing the Right Wick Size. Test all candles simultaneously to save time and make comparison easier. If you find that you need to test another size, the most productive method is to wick up or down within the same series before trying a different one. Jumping from series to series can produce confusing results.
Trouble-shooting for wicking container candles
While trying these tips may not solve the problem, they rule out common mistakes before deciding to test a different size wick.
If flame is too small, leave the wick longer before lighting (about 5/8"). If the wick is trimmed too short, it won't create the correct flame height and enough heat to melt wax. Flame should be approximately 1" tall.
If flame is too tall and/or flickering, trim the wick shorter before lighting.
If the melt pool doesn't go to the edge of the container, (1) allow the candle to burn for 3-4 hrs. at one lighting. Burning the candle for a shorter period might not allow time for the wax to melt. (2) Be sure you have a 1" flame.
If there's wax left on the sides of the jar after the first one or two burn cycles, continue the burn test if it's 1/8" thick or less. During the first cycles most of the heat from the flame goes out the top of the candle and may not create an ideal melt pool. As the wax is consumed and the flame gets down inside the container, more heat is retained inside the jar and may melt off the wax left from the first cycles.
If the wick is sooting, there are three factors that could cause this:
- Poor quality wax
- Poor quality or too much fragrance oil
- Wrong size or type of wick
Sooting is a result of too much fuel (wax plus fragrance plus dye) being pulled up through the wick to burn off cleanly at the flame.