Wick Size Chart: Pick the Right Wick for Your Candle
The wick is the engine of your candle. Too small and the candle tunnels, drowns, or won’t stay lit. Too large and you get mushrooming, soot, and a flame that looks like a bonfire. This wick size chart gives you a practical starting point for soy wax — then shows you how to test-burn to confirm the size is right.
The Chart: Jar Diameter → Wick Size (Soy Wax)
| Jar Diameter | CD Series | ECO Series | LX Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5″ – 2″ | CD 6 | ECO 4 | LX 14 |
| 2″ – 2.5″ | CD 8 | ECO 6 | LX 16 |
| 2.5″ – 3″ | CD 10 | ECO 8 | LX 18 |
| 3″ – 3.5″ | CD 12 | ECO 10 | LX 20 |
| 3.5″ – 4″ | CD 14 | ECO 12 | LX 22 |
| 4″+ | CD 16 (or double-wick) | ECO 14 (or double-wick) | LX 24 (or double-wick) |
For jars wider than 4 inches, two smaller wicks spaced evenly usually burn better than one huge wick.
Why This Chart Is a Starting Point, Not a Rule
Wax type, fragrance load, dye, and the specific fragrance oil all change how a wick burns. A candle with 10% vanilla fragrance needs a bigger wick than the same jar with 6% of a light citrus. The chart gets you in the right neighborhood — the test burn tells you the rest.
How to Test-Burn
- Make one test candle with your chosen wick, fragrance load, and container.
- Let it cure for at least 48 hours (a full 7–14 day cure is better).
- Trim the wick to 1/4 inch and light it.
- Burn in 2–4 hour sessions.
- Check the melt pool: after 2 hours it should reach nearly to the edge, about 1/4 inch deep. Flame steady, 1–1.5 inches tall, no flickering.
Signs Your Wick Is Too Small
- Tunneling — melt pool never reaches the edges. See the candle tunneling fix.
- Drowning — flame shrinks and dies in its own melt pool.
- Won’t stay lit.
Fix: go up one wick size and test again.
Signs Your Wick Is Too Large
- Mushrooming — black carbon ball on the wick tip.
- Soot — black smoke or soot marks on the jar rim.
- Flame over 1.5 inches.
Fix: go down one wick size and test again.
Quick Tips That Save You Headaches
- Trim to 1/4 inch before every burn.
- Test with your actual fragrance and load. See the fragrance load calculator.
- Change one variable at a time.
- Keep notes on jar, wax, fragrance, load %, and wick size for every test.
Key Takeaways
- Match wick size to jar diameter using the chart, then confirm with a test burn.
- Too small = tunneling and drowning; too large = mushrooming and soot.
- Fragrance load and dye change wick needs.
For the full rundown of everything that can go wrong, see the soy candle troubleshooting guide.
Want the Shortcut?
The Soy Candle Maker’s Troubleshooting Toolkit is a printable PDF with the full wick size chart, fragrance load calculator tables, and step-by-step fix checklists — every fix in this guide, condensed onto pages you can keep at your pouring station.
