Which Wick Should I Use When Making Candles?

Many different types of candle wick are available

I often get the question "which wick do I use?"  The answer is very complex.  It would seem like a simple thing.  You only need a few candle making supplies to make a candle.  Wax and wick are really all it takes, right.  Few people only use wax and wick.  And there are many many different kinds of waxes and wicks.  The truth of the matter is that there is no one wick to use in all wax and wick combos.  And it can get even more difficult when you add it other additives, such as scent and dye.  The combinations that you can make with just a few types of candle making supplies is endless. So you will need to test.  You can usually get some starting points for candle supplier websites and charts.  Just remember that these are just starting points.

Some things to know are that the size of the wick determines the diameter to which the flame can melt the wax.  This is where you will see your basic wick size recommendations.  But really getting the correct wick for your candle requires testing, a lot of testing.

There are a lot of different families of wicks on the market.  CD, square braid, flat braid, zinc core, etc.  Each wick is made for certain types of wax environments.  When you use additives (fragrance, dye, UV inhibitor) you may change that environment.  Often times you will need a larger wick within the same family of wicks.  But sometimes you may need an entirely different family of wicks!  That is why it is so important to test each and every additive combo in the jars you use.  Heck, I even have some scents that requires for me to down-wick!!  How strange is that!  (Down-wicking is to decrease the wick size)

I actually use 5 different families.  But I have found that CD and CDN wicks can fit most burning situations in Golden Wax 464 and American Soy Organics Classic Wax.  (Both are soy waxes)
 
What to know about how to test for wick size?  Take a peek.