A Complete Guide on Choosing the Right Type of Wick and Wick Size
Making candles on your own can be an exciting yet complicated task. When it comes to DIY-ing candles, you'll likely get caught up in the endless variety of scents, vibrant colors, and types of candles.
One integral aspect of producing your own candles, that beginners often overlook, is the wick. Consequently, most people will choose their wick without considering some very important aspects. This is a big mistake because it can mean that your beautifully created candle won’t burn properly, or even worse, not at all.
There are 2 main things that you need to know before choosing the best wick for your candle:
- What kind of wax are you going to use?
- What will the diameter of your candle be?
For this you will need to measure the widest part of your jar or mold.
The height of your candle and how much wax your container or mold holds does not impact which wick you will choose. The only time the height of your candle matters in your wick selection is when your candle will be taller than the length of a pre-tabbed wick. You will also want to keep in mind that .25" of wick needs to remain above the candle wax for lighting. If the height of your candle exceeds the height of pre-tabbed wicks, you will need to purchase spooled wick and tabs to create your own custom wicks.
Once you have determined the wax you will use and the diameter your candle will be, you can use our convenient wick recommendation charts below to assist you in selecting the best wick for your candles:
Wick Recommendation Chart
Wood Wick Recommendation Chart
What are Candle Wicks?
Candle wicks are the most crucial element of a candle. Without the ideal wick, your candle would be useless as the flame will fail to burn properly.
Wicks are the heart of a candle, and their purpose is to deliver fuel (wax) to the flame. When a candle’s wick is lit, the heat from the flame melts the wax around the wick. Acting like a fuel pump, the wick then draws the liquefied wax up into the flame to burn. This is known as capillary action. Different wick sizes allow for different amounts of fuel to be drawn into the flame. Too much fuel and the flame will flare and soot; too little fuel and the flame will sputter out.
Does Candle Wick Size Matter?
Yes, the size of your wick definitely matters. Different wick sizes allow different levels of heat. Thicker wicks allow more fuel to be drawn into the flame and will create more heat. These wicks are better for wider candles or candles made with harder waxes like beeswax or other pillar waxes.
Thinner wicks won't burn as hot because they don’t deliver as much fuel to the flame. These wicks are ideal for candle that don't have a wide diameter like tapers or candles made with softer waxes like soy.
How to Choose the Perfect Candle Wick
There are infinite possibilities when it comes to colors, fragrances, vessels, molds, and wicks. You must consider all of these elements when choosing the right wick for your candle.
The type of candle wick you choose impacts the manner and mechanics of your candle's flame, including heat, duration, scent throw and combustion. Here are a couple of factors you should consider when deciding what kind of wick is best for your candle:
The Diameter of the Candle
The first thing you need to know before choosing your wick is the diameter of the candle. The diameter plays a significant role in determining the large of a wick you will need. For instance, a wider diameter will require more heat in order for your melt pool to reach all the way to the edge of your candle. Therefore, you will either need to choose a larger wick or multiple smaller wicks so that there is enough heat to melt the entire surface of the candle.
To determine your candle's diameter, use a ruler to measure from one side to the other of the widest part of your candle. Use this information when searching for the right wick. If you candle is 3.5" in diameter or less, it will be fairly easy for your to find a single wick that can provide enough heat to melt your candle. If you candle is 4" or larger, you will likely be better off using multiple wicks. If you put an extremely thick wick that says it can burn over 4" in diameter, there is a good chance that your candle will create a considerable amount of smoke and soot. That is why we generally recommend using multiple smaller wicks.
Some people think that the number of ounces of wax used in your candle or the height of your candle play a role in the wick that you select. In reality, the amount of wax used in your candle is completely irrelevant in determining the right wick. The height of your candle will only matter if it is going to be taller than a pre-tabbed wick. If you aren't able to find pre-tabbed wicks that are tall enough for your candle, you will need to purchase spooled wicking and tabs to make custom wicks. However, a candle that is 3" wide and 4" tall will use a wick that is the same thickness as a candle that is 3" wide and 8" tall.
The Type of Candle Wax
The type of wick that you choose will also be impacted by the type of wax that you are using. Different waxes have different densities and melting points and will in turn require a different level of heat from your wick to allow your candle to burn well.
For instance, due to the hard and sticky consistency of beeswax, Cotton Braid wicking is ideal for candles made from this wax. The unique construction of the Cotton Braid wicks combined with the treatment processes, make it an excellent choice for waxes that are highly viscous when molten. It is engineered to curl while burning, which minimizes carbon build-up.
Another example is zinc wicks. They are an excellent choose when making a paraffin candle. However, if you used a zinc core wick in a soy candle, there is a very good chance that it will drown. So you will need to make sure that the wick you have selected is recommended for the type of wax you are working with
Fragrance and Color
You will also need to consider the type of fragrance oil and/or dye you are using as well as how much you are using when choosing a wick.
Using scents and dyes that are not made specifically for candle making can alter how well your candle burns. Only oil based scents and dyes should be used. Alcohol based perfumes, food colouring, crayons, mica and even some essential oils can interfere with your candles capillary action and combustion.
Adding too much scent and/or dye can also change the way your candle burns. It is very important to complete a test burn for every different candle recipe you make to ensure optimal burning. You may find that the perfect wick for one recipe doesn’t work as well in a candle made with a different one.
Securing and Centering Your Wick
When you wick your candle, you will need to make sure that your wick is secured in place and centred in order to achieve the best burn.
We recommend using a wick stickum which was created specifically for attaching the base of your wick to the middle of the bottom of your vessel. This tool will keep your wick from floating around in liquid wax. A dangerous and messy consequence of not securing your wick would be having it float to the side of a glass vessel resulting in it shattering and spilling hot wax everywhere.
Another tool we recommend using when making a candle is a wick centring tool. They will keep your wick running straight up the centre of your candle while the wax is setting. When not used, your wick could end up leaning off to one side which would result in a melt pool that doesn’t reach the edge around the entire candle.
How to Wick a Candle with Multiple Wicks?
When you are making a candle that you are planning on putting multiple wicks in, it can be a little trickier to determine the right wick thickness to use. The easiest way to determine the size of wick you will need is by drawing the outline of your candle on a piece of paper to use as a template. Once you have your template, divide it into equal size sections depending on how many wicks you would like to use. Then measure the widest part of your sections to determine the wick size you will need.
This template can also be used to help with proper wick placement if your container has a clear bottom. Find the center of each section on your template and mark with a dot. Then set your container on top of the jar and place your wicks on top of the center dots.
Types of Wicks for Candles
A variety of materials and techniques are used to create quality candle wicks, with each type being designed to meet a different combustion criteria.
Here we discuss the major types of wicks for candles:
Cored Wicks
Cored wicks consist of an outer layer of braided or knitted fibres around a core material that provides varying levels of rigidity to help the wick stand upright in a molten wax pool.
The most common types of core materials include:
Cored wicks may be used in pillars, votives and jar candles.
Flat Braid Wicks
Flat braided or knitted wicks are typically manufactured from high performance fibres. These wicks result in a cleaner burning, self-trimming wick with additional structural strength, controlled curling and a hotter, more efficient flame.
An example of a flat braided wick is the high tensile paper wicks (HTP). They are an excellent choice for paraffin, beeswax, vegetable, and gel candle systems.
Square Wicks
Square Wicking is engineered to curl while burning, which minimizes carbon build-up. Originally designed to beeswax candles, this type of wick is now being used in all types of candle systems.
Their design helps to prevent them from clogging. This makes them ideal for beeswax due to the naturally occurring sediments found in the wax that can interfere in the burning process.
Wooden Wicks
Over the past couple of years, wooden wicks have been gaining popularity. It is mainly because they offer an incredible visual aesthetic and a soft crackling sound when burning.
These wicks come in single-ply, multi-ply, decorative, and shaped, 100% wood wicks, semi-wood, and cotton and wood combinations.
There are many benefits to using wooden wicks in addition to the tantalizing crackling sound they make when burning:
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They have no mushrooming with little carbon buildup, debris or sooting.
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They are hard and rigid which means that they require no straightening while making your candles.
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Wooden wicks can be used in all types of candle wax and to make many types of candles including container, pillar and votives
Reasons to Choose the Right Candle Wick
Your candle's wick is the simplest yet most crucial part of your candle. Basically, it's the engine of your candle and helps determine how long your candle will burn.
Therefore, you should choose the right type of wick for your candle. A lack of test burning and miseducation may lead you to select the wrong wick.
The fact is that every wick has its pair for candle wax. The wrong wick can inhibit your scent throw, cause improper combustion and make your candle burn too slowly or too fast.
How to Know if You're Using the Wrong Candle Wick?
Using the wrong type of wick can cause numerous candle problems. Here, we've discussed some signs that indicate you're using the wrong candle wick:
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If your candle wick self-extinguishes, chances are that your candle suffers from one of the following potential errors. You may have chosen a candle wick that is not large enough. In this case, you would need to find a wick that will produce a stronger, hotter flame. Something in your wax could be clogging your wick. For example, if you used crayon or mica to color your candle or you used beeswax that hasn’t been filtered enough. Finally, you may have added too much fragrance oil. Try to stick to the recommended fragrance load indicated on the wax label.
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“Mushrooming” happens when the wax does not burn fast enough to keep up with the wick. The overabundance of the wax causes carbon to build up creating a black “mushroom cap” on the wick. This generally occurs when the wick is not the right size for the candle, often it’s too large. To fix a mushroom wick, trim the black “cap” off and bend or “curl” the tip of the wick. Using the correct wick, wax, and fragrances when creating a candle is vital to prevent mushrooming in the future.
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Flickering wicks can result in soot and smoke. Things that may cause your candle to flicker include a wick that is too large, too much air flow from sources like an open window or ceiling fan, and wax impurities that get drawn into the wick and interfere with proper combustion.
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If your candle fails to melt all the way to the edge, it will create a tunnel and can be a challenge to correct. Tunnels usually result from one of two reasons. First, the wick is too small for the diameter of your candle. This would mean that you need to use a larger wick. The other possibility is that the candle wasn’t burned long enough to reach the edge. This can result in your wick drowning during subsequent burns. It is very important that every time you burn a candle, you don’t extinguish it until it has melted the entire surface area of the candle.
A general rule of thumb is that you want your wick to burn out one inch in diameter every hour and should reach the edge after burning no longer than 4 hours. Therefore, if your candle has a diameter larger than 4”, we recommend using multiple wicks. For example, for a 5 inch diameter candle, you could use 2 wicks that are known to create a melt pool of 2.5 inches each.
The Bottom Line
Many factors come into play when choosing the best wick for your candle, but it is by far the most vital element in your candle system.
Most importantly, your wick will determine the duration your candle will last, the strength of your scent throw and how cleanly your candle will burn. For even more information on creating the perfect candle, read the American Chemical Society’s article “Shining a Light on Candles.”
Venture onto Village Craft & Candle to find everything you need to begin your candle making journey.
