Guide to Wicking

This guide to wicking will help you understand how to choose the right wick for your candle. Happy candle making!

Our candle wicks have all been primed (pre-waxed), cut to the specified length, and the wick tabs have already been attached. They are ready for use in your candle making project. Please note that the guidance we offer on this website for wick selection is a recommendation only, and is not guaranteed. You should always test to ensure proper wick selection.

Coreless, all cotton braided wicks which are designed to bend at the tip when burning, forcing the tip of the wick into the outermost portion of the flame where it burns hottest.  The result is more complete combustion, leaving less carbon buildup (mushrooming) behind and less smoking.  Can be used in votives, pillars, containers, and gel candles. Each wick has been cut to the specified length, primed with a high melt point wax (212°F) and has been crimped with a wick tab for immediate use in your candle making project.

SizeRecommended Application (diameter)*
27Votives, Pillars & Small Containers ( 1.5″ – 1.75″ )
35Pillars & Small Containers ( 1.5″ – 2″ )
45Pillars & Small Containers (2.25″ – 2.75″)

Explore our cotton wicks

Cotton wicks are also available at Lonestar Candles

This series of candle wicks is designed specifically for natural waxes such as Coco Apricot Crème, EcoLux Coco Soy, and Soy Container wax.  The ECO  series is a flat, coreless cotton wick braided with thin paper filaments interwoven for burn stability.  This braiding technique also greatly improves rigidity compared to standard cotton and paper cored wicks. The specially treated paper threads provide a controlled curling of the wick making the ECO series self-trimming, which results in minimized mushrooming, soot and smoke.  They have been designed to significantly reduce the “afterglow” and smoke often seen in paper cored wicks.  An important difference to note is that these wicks have been primed with vegetable wax rather than paraffin wax, enabling you to market your candles as all natural candles! Each wick has been cut to the specified length, primed with a vegetable wax (161°F), and has been crimped with a 20mm diameter x 10mm tall tab.

Size

Recommended Application (diameter)*

ECO-2

Votives & Small Containers ( 1.5″ – 2.0″ )

ECO-4

Votives, Pillars & Small Containers ( 2.0″ – 2.5″ )

ECO-6

Pillars & Small Containers ( 2.5″ – 2.75″ )

ECO-8

Pillars & Medium Containers ( 2.75″ – 3.0″ )

ECO-10

Pillars & Medium Containers ( 3.0″ – 3.25″ )

ECO-12

Pillars & Medium Containers ( 3.25″ – 3.5″ )

ECO-14

Pillars & Large Containers ( 3.5″ – 3.75″ )

*These recommendations are based upon the wick being used in a soy wax.

Explore our ECO wicks

Also available at Candle Science

HTP wick is a flat cotton wick interwoven with paper fibers for increased rigidity. The HTP wick is a versatile wick that combines the structure of a paper core wick with the performance and even burn of a flat wick. HTP wicks work well in paraffin, gel, and vegetable waxes such as Coco Apricot Crème, EcoLux Coco Soy, and Soy Container wax. HTP wicks are lead and zinc free.

SizeRecommended Application (diameter)*
  
HTP 104Containers (2″ – 3″)
HTP 1312Containers (3″- 4″)

Browse our HTP wicks here

Also available at Canwax

Our wood wicks crackle and pop like a wood burning fire as they burn.

Wooden wicks are for use in containers, and should not be used in pillars or votives.  Wooden wicks can be used in paraffin, Coco Apricot Crème, EcoLux Coco Soy, and Soy Container wax. When using our wooden wicks in pure soy, we recommend testing. There are many variables in candle making such as the addition of scent, color, or other additives that could affect the performance of your candles.  When you test you will want to make sure the melt pool is wide enough for your candle making project. Our woo wicks are not recommended for use with bees wax or palm wax as these waxes do not tend to burn hot enough.

To achieve a good “crackle” sound with the wooden wicks, it is very important that you do not use too much fragrance oil.  The crackle is a result of the correct amount of fragrance oil, type of wax, and amount of dye being used.

SizeRecommended Application
 SoyCoco Apricot Crème/Lush Coconut Soy
Wooden Wick W007Large Container (up to 3.75″ diameter)Large Container (up to 3.75″ diameter)
Wooden Wick w/boosterLarge Container (up to 4.25″ diameter)Large Container (up to 4.25″ diameter)
Spiral Wooden WickLarge Container (up to 4″ diameter)Large Container (up to 4″ diameter)
Grid WickLarge Container (up to 4″ diameter)Large Container (up to 4″ diameter)
S WickLarge Container (up to 4″ diameter)Large Container (up to 4″ diameter)

X Wick                                                             Large Container (up to 4.25″ diameter)               Large Container (up to 4.25″ diameter)

Explore our S Wicks here

Explore our Wooden Wick with Booster here

Wooden wicks also available at the Wooden Wick Co.

How to use Multiple Wicks in a Candle

Rose colored tealight candle with rose quartz

We have come up with a simple equation to use to help you decide what size wicks to use in your candle jars:

Diameter ÷ the number of wicks you want to use + .25 inches = your wick size

So, if you have a jar or vessel that is 4.5 inches wide and you want to use 3 wicks, your equation would be:

4.5 ÷ 3 + .25 = 1.75

This means you will need a candle wick that will burn up to a 1.75 inch diameter to use 3 wicks in your 4.5 inch wide jar.

How do I know how many wicks to use? 

This is personal choice. Typically, you add 1 wick for every inch after a 3 inch wide container. So, for a 4 inch jar, 2 wicks. For a 5 inch jar, 3 wicks. A 6 inch jar, 4 wicks…etc. Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t use 3 wicks in a 4 inch jar but, again, that is up to you! 

Browse our selection of wicks here.

Browse our selection of vessels & lids here.