Guide to Wicking

These wicks have all been primed (pre-waxed), cut to the specified length, and tabs have already been crimped on. They are ready for use. We offer a large variety of diameters (sizes) and lengths available in several different series. You may need to experiment to get the correct size and style wick for the candle you are making. We offer sampler kits for each series of wick that we carry. We also offer a master wick sampler kit which contains every wick we offer, except the wooden wicks.

The guidance we offer on this website for wick selection are recommendations only, not guarantees There are many variables that factor into matching a candle with the proper wick such as wax type, fragrance load, dye type, container diameter, etc... As with any process in manufacturing your candles, you should always test burn to ensure proper wick selection.

All of our wicks are made with a taller 10mm neck wicktab (unless otherwise noted). The taller neck helps ensure more safety because it prevents the bottom 3/8" (depending on the size and shape of your jar) of the candle from burning since there's no wicking left. This is a critical safety precaution. We are the only supplier, that we know of, that uses the taller, more expensive tabs as the standard wicktab on all wick clip assemblies We simply want to provide our customers with a higher level of safety.

These are the most commonly used wick type for many types of candles. They may be used for votives, pillars, and in gel candles. The wire core in the wick helps the wick to remain standing straight while the candle is being poured and when the candle is lit. They have been widely used since the use of lead core wicks was discontinued long ago. Each wick has been cut to the specified length, primed with a standard wax (180°F) and has been crimped with a 20mm diameter x 10mm tall tab.

*These recommendations are based upon the wick being used in a base paraffin wax. "Single Pour" paraffin waxes generally generally require a larger wick and may require that you "upsize" your wick 1 or 2 sizes to achieve a proper melt pool. We do not recommend using these wicks in soy wax.

The CD series of wicks is a favorite among many seasoned candlemakers. These wicks are flat braided with a special paper filament woven around them. This configuration is engineered to promote maximum and consistent burn while ensuring a wick trimming flame posture. The CD series is used in many applications and is especially compatible with the harder-to-melt viscous waxes of both paraffin and vegetable base (soy). Each wick has been cut to the specified length, primed with a high melt point wax (212°F) and has been crimped with a 20mm diameter x 10mm tall tab (except CD-22 which has a 20mm diameter x 6mm tab.)

*These recommendations are based upon the wick being used in a base paraffin wax. "Single Pour" paraffin waxes and vegetable based (soy) waxes generally require a larger wick and may require that you "upsize" your wick 1,2 or even 3 sizes to achieve a proper melt pool.

This series is designed specifically for natural waxes like soy and palm 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.

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

Coreless, cotton braided wicks with paper filament woven into the braid 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 20mm diameter x 10mm tall tab (except HTP-1212 which has a 20mm diameter x 6mm tab.)

*These recommendations are based upon the wick being used in a base paraffin wax. "Single Pour" paraffin waxes and vegetable based (soy) waxes generally require a larger wick and may require that you "upsize" your wick 1,2 or even 3 sizes to achieve a proper melt pool.

Flat braided cotton wicks, chemically treated with a high melt point wax (212°F). These wicks are designed to reduce "mushrooming" (build up of carbon at the tip of the wick), reduce smoke and soot, and when used properly these wicks are virtually self-trimming. Can be used in virtually any application, we've found that these wicks perform very well in paraffin and IGI 6006. Each wick has been cut to the specified length, primed with a high melt point wax (212°F) and has been crimped with a 20mm diameter x 10mm tall tab.

*These recommendations are based upon the wick being used in a base paraffin wax. "Single Pour" paraffin waxes and vegetable based (soy) waxes generally require a larger wick and may require that you "upsize" your wick 1,2 or even 3 sizes to achieve a proper melt pool.

Wooden wicks are relatively new to the candle making industry. Generally, there are two types of wooden wicks - hard wood wicks and soft wood wicks. You may have seen hard wood wicks available but they don't even compare to the superiority of the soft wood wicks. Our soft wood wicks offer the unique sounds of a wood burning fire as they crackle and pop while they burn.

Our soft wood wicks are comprised of two identical pieces of wood pressed together. The dual wick is ideal for natural waxes such as soy as well as waxes that can hold a lot of fragrance oil.

Wooden wicks are for use in containers, and should not be used in pillars or votives. Wooden wicks can be used in paraffin or soy. When using our wooden wicks in pure soy, we recommend using the large or extra large wick. This is to make sure the melt pool is wide enough since pure soy wax tends to hold in the heat, as well as fragrance.

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 direct result of the correct amount of fragrance oil, type of wax, and amount of dye being used.

All our wooden wicks are made with wood from FSC-certified mills, which means they must meet a stringent set of social and economic requirements to be considered sustainable.

*We tested our Wooden wicks in both a single-pour soy container wax and a single-pour paraffin container wax. We recommend using the L or XL size wicks when using them in pure soy. The amount of fragrance oil, dye, and the type of wax WILL affect the way these wicks burn. Testing must be done to ensure a proper melt pool is achieved. Not recommended for bees wax or palm wax as these wicks do not tend to burn hot enough to properly burn them.

Tube wicks are a new type of wooden wick that work with a traditional cotton wick. You get the steady burn from a cotton wick but the crackling sound that is unique to wooden wicks!

These wicks do not require a wick tab since you will be pairing them with a cotton wick. They are approximately 5 inches long and half an inch wide. They're made of a single ply piece of wood rolled into a tube shape. These wicks come with a protective plastic cover on each wick. This cover must be removed before using these wicks.

To choose the proper size cotton wick to go along with your tube wick, take the recommended wick size for your container from the sizing charts above, and go down one size. (Example: If you usually use an ECO-10 wick, you would go down to the ECO-8 to use with the tube wick.)