Wick Guide

With wicks being the most important item for a well performing candle, it's important to have a wide selection to choose from.

HTP Wicks

Recommended Wax Type:  Soy.

HTP wicks are made of cotton which feature braided paper fibers to enhance the rigidity of the material. They have a softer burn (which is good for soy) with a tendency to slightly curl as they burn. They also have the useful property of self-trimming; however, it is always good practice to trim them when required.

Shop Now

CDN Wicks

Recommended Wax Type: Palm wax, paraffin wax and soy wax.

CDN Wicks possess a flat-braid style and are compatible with more types of wax than the HTP range. One of their main advantages is that they are zinc-free and offer enhanced rigidity and burning properties for natural waxes. Whilst they tend to be a little more versatile than their HTP counterpart, they also tend to be a little more vulnerable to ‘mushrooming’ (gather as a carbon ball) as they burn - requiring a trim after each burn.

Shop Now

Wooden Wicks

Recommended Wax Type: Soy, palm, paraffin, and soy-paraffin blends.

Our wooden wicks burn like a natural crackling flame creating a campfire ambiance. These all-natural wicks are treated with a clean and patented burning agent; however, they require your own personal testing in order to get the ideal burn for your candles.

Shop Now

WICK GUIDE

SELECTING THE RIGHT WICK FOR CANDLES

One of the most common questions in candle making is: "What wick should I use?" This can be a complex process, but we aim to take the confusion away.

Selecting Wicks for EROMA Glassware/Containers

We provide the suggested wick for all our vessels in their product desription. Please note that this is a guide only and should be used as a starting point for your testing. You might have to go several sizes higher or lower during your wick testing to find your perfect burn profile (see below for more information).

Selecting Wicks for Your Own Glassware/Containers

To select the right wick for your own container, please refer to our candle wick information chart below. You can match the diameter of your desired container to the burn diameter of a wick shown in the table. This gives a good indication of which wick you should begin testing with.

Note: These are the results of wicks freely burning in Golden Wax 464 (non-fragranced), meaning they were not burnt in containers and do not account for the accumulated heat generated by the wall of the container. Results will vary depending on which wax and fragrance is used.

TYPE & THICKNESS
(BURN DIAMETER)

HTP 31 to HTP XL-100
CDN 3 to CDN 22

Wicks are numbered from the lowest to the highest. For example, the CDN-3 is the smallest wick in the CDN range, and this means that it has a smaller flame and is suitable only for the smaller-type products such as tealights. On the contrary, the CDN-22 is for large tins and glassware and has a larger flame. The same applies to the HTP range of wicks, the HTP 31 being the smallest and the HTP XL-100 being the largest.

LENGTH OF WICK

27mm, 33mm, 150mm or 300mm
 

27mm – Suitable for tealight candles only.

33mm - Suitable for larger tealight cups.

150mm - Suitable for tins and glassware and have a tab on the bottom.

300mm - Suitable mostly for pillar-type candles. They have no tabs on the bottom, but, if need be, tabs can be manually applied.

DIAMETER AND HEIGHT OF METAL TAB

15mm (Dia) x 3.8mm (Height) or
20mm (Dia) x 6mm (Height)

The metal tab anchors and secures the wick to the bottom of the container and stops the flame near the bottom so that the heat does not transfer to the base of the container. The idea behind the 20mm x 6mm tab is that the height of it is longer than the 15mm x 3.8mm tab. As the candle burns down, it stops at a certain point leaving a bit of wax at the bottom which can help alleviate glass breakages. If a candle is left to 'burn out', it increases the chances of glass breakages as the glass heats up the most at this point.

Variables Influencing Your Wick Selection

Variables to keep in mind when selecting a wick is wax with colour and/or fragrance, as this can affect the burning process. The rule is that the moment you change any variable such as wax, fragrance or colour, container type/size, or mould type/size, then you will need to perform testing because the most suitable wick may differ. For example, some fragrances can be more aggressive than others requiring a smaller wick, while others can be harder to burn and necessitate larger wick.


In addition, you must examine the entire burning process. For example, if you would like a candle to be burnt for one-hour intervals, this will need a different wick to one that is burnt for three-hour intervals. The reason for this is that the candle wax burns out and then down, so for short durations the wax may not reach a full molten pool resulting in residual solid wax that will remain on the sides of the container or pillar. If you intend to burn the candle for shorter or longer durations, then your wick sizes may vary up or down in relation to our info. The general rule is that for longer burn durations you should go down in wick size, and for shorter burns, go up in wick size. We estimate that an average burn is two to three hours.

Testing

The perfect wick is all about testing, so we highly recommend that you purchase a range of small wick packs first. Once you find the ideal wick for each application, only then do we recommend you buy the larger packs. It is recommended that you burn a minimum of three candles to ensure accurate test results. Any changes to your formula (however insignificant) after your initial testing will require further testing.


If you would like to find out further information about our wicks, please browse our wicks frequently asked questions.