Candle Wick Size Guide
Find the right wick for your container diameter and wax type. Get recommendations across LX, CD, ECO, and RRD wick series — instantly.
How to Choose the Right Candle Wick
Choosing the correct wick size is one of the most important decisions in candle making. The wrong wick causes mushrooming (carbon build-up), tunnelling (wax left on sides), soot, or a weak throw. No chart replaces burn testing — but this guide gives you the best starting point for each container and wax combination.
Wick sizing depends on four main factors: container diameter (the most important), wax type (softer waxes like soy need larger wicks), fragrance load (heavier fragrance oils clog wicks, requiring a size up), and dye (dye can slightly restrict burn, sometimes needing a half-size increase).
Understanding Wick Series
Different manufacturers use different naming conventions. The most popular series are:
- LX Series — Good all-rounder for soy and paraffin. Flat-braided cotton. Numbers range LX-10 to LX-36.
- CD Series — Coreless cotton wick with paper filament. Excellent for container soy and blends. Slightly more rigid. Numbers CD-8 to CD-24.
- ECO Series — Flat cotton with paper core. Self-trimming and low mushrooming. Good for natural waxes. Numbers ECO-1 to ECO-16.
- RRD Series — Round braided, good for paraffin and beeswax. RRD-40 to RRD-126.
Always buy a wick sampler set so you can test one size up and one size down from the recommendation. A proper burn test takes 3–4 hours per session across multiple pours.
Burn Testing Protocol
After selecting a candidate wick, perform a formal burn test: burn for 3–4 hours, extinguish, let cool completely, then measure the melt pool diameter and depth. A good wick creates a full melt pool (edge to edge) within 3–4 hours without excessive mushrooming, sooting, or tunnelling. Check the wick tip — it should self-trim to about 6mm (¼ inch) after extinguishing.
Tips for Difficult Waxes
Beeswax is the densest natural wax and typically requires a larger wick than soy for the same diameter. Coconut wax is very soft and may need a size down from paraffin. Soy blends (parasoy) often perform similarly to 100% soy but with a slightly higher max fragrance load. When using essential oils instead of fragrance oils, note that EOs often burn cleaner, so you may be able to use the standard recommendation or even one size smaller.