What is the difference between CD, ECO, and LX wicks?

CD (cotton/paper) wicks are rigid, work well in soy and paraffin, and are commonly used by beginners. ECO wicks are flat braided cotton with a paper core, providing a stable flame and good scent throw in soy and coconut wax. LX wicks are flat braided cotton designed to reduce mushrooming and soot, popular in paraffin and soy blends.

How do wooden wicks compare to cotton wicks?

Wooden wicks produce a crackling sound and a wider, flatter flame that fans out horizontally. They work well in soy and coconut wax but are harder to size correctly. A single wooden wick is suitable for containers up to about 3.5 inches; larger containers may need a booster wick or double-wick setup.

What does mushrooming mean on a candle wick?

Mushrooming is the buildup of carbonized wax on the wick tip after burning — it looks like a small ball or mushroom shape. It causes flickering, smoking, and uneven burns. Trim the wick to 1/4 inch before each burn. If mushrooming is severe, your wick is likely too large.

Candle Wick Size Guide

Q: How do I choose the right wick size for my candle?

Start with your container's inner diameter and your wax type. Use a wick chart to find a starting size, then run burn tests: light the candle and check after 4 hours. A full melt pool across the entire surface is the goal. If the melt pool doesn't reach the edges, wick up. If you see sooting or mushrooming, wick down.

Q: What size wick do I need for a 3-inch diameter candle jar?

For a 3-inch (3") diameter container with soy wax, start with a CD-22, ECO-10, or LX-22. For coconut soy, try CD-24 or ECO-12. For paraffin, LX-22 or CD-22. These are starting points — always perform burn tests to confirm.

Last updated June 2026 · 7 min read

Quick answer Wick size depends on your container diameter and wax type. For a 3″ soy candle, start with a CD-22, ECO-10, or LX-22. No wick chart can replace burn testing — always test before your production pour. The calculator below gives a wick starting point for any setup.

Wick selection is the variable candle makers spend the most time troubleshooting. Too small a wick and you get tunneling — a hole down the center that wastes most of your wax and fragrance. Too large and you get sooting, mushrooming, and a flame that burns dangerously hot. There is no single "correct" wick for any given container; there's only a good starting point and then burn testing.

Wick Size Chart — CD, ECO & LX Series

This chart covers the three most common cotton wick series for container candles. Use container inner diameter, not outer. All suggestions are starting points for burn testing.

Container Diameter	Soy 464/444	Coconut Soy	Paraffin	Beeswax
Under 2″	CD-10, ECO-1	CD-12, ECO-2	LX-10, CD-10	Square #1/0
2″–2.5″	CD-14, ECO-2, LX-14	CD-16, ECO-4	LX-14, CD-14	Square #1/0
2.5″–3″	CD-18, ECO-6, LX-18	CD-20, ECO-8	LX-20, CD-18	Square #2/0
3″–3.5″	CD-22, ECO-10, LX-22	CD-24, ECO-12	LX-22, CD-22	Square #3/0
3.5″–4″	CD-26, ECO-14	CD-26, ECO-14	LX-26, CD-26	Square #4/0
Over 4″	Double-wick recommended for all wax types

CD vs ECO vs LX: What's the Difference?

Series	Construction	Best For	Notes
CD	Cotton + paper core, round	Soy, paraffin, blends	Rigid, consistent flame, good for beginners
ECO	Flat-braided cotton + paper	Soy, coconut soy	Self-trimming, minimal mushrooming, excellent scent throw
LX	Flat-braided cotton, no core	Paraffin, soy/paraffin blends	Reduces carbon buildup, minimal soot
Wooden	Single or booster wood slat	Soy, coconut soy	Crackling sound, wide melt pool, harder to size

How to Burn Test a Wick

Charts give you a starting point. Burn testing tells you if it actually works. Follow this process for every new fragrance + wax + container combination.

Trim your wick to ¼″ before every test burn. Untrimmed wicks cause inaccurate results — they'll mushroom and soot regardless of size.

Burn for exactly 4 hours on a flat, draft-free surface. This is called a "burn cycle." Never burn longer than the candle's diameter in hours (8-hour max for any container).

Check the melt pool depth and width. After 4 hours, the melt pool should reach within ¼″ of the jar edge. Depth should be ½″ maximum. Deeper than that means the wick is too big.

Extinguish and let cool completely (ideally 24 hours). Then repeat the same burn cycle 3–4 times total before making any conclusions.

Wick up or wick down based on results. Full melt pool not reached → wick up one size. Smoking, sooting, or melt pool deeper than ½″ → wick down one size.

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Always trim to ¼″

Wick trimming is the single most impactful thing you can do for burn quality. Use a wick trimmer or nail clippers. Never burn an untrimmed wick.

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Fragrance load affects wick size

Higher fragrance loads and heavier FOs (like musks) make wax thicker and require a larger wick. Retest whenever you change fragrance or load %.

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Wooden wick tips

Wooden wicks need a longer light time on the first burn. If the flame keeps going out, the wick may be too thick — try a thinner width or add a booster wick.

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Measure the inner diameter

Always use the inner diameter of the container, not the outside. Thick glass or ceramic walls can reduce the effective burn diameter by ¼–½″.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Start with your container's inner diameter and wax type. Use a wick chart to find a starting size, then run burn tests: light the candle and check after 4 hours. A full melt pool across the entire surface is the goal. If the melt pool doesn't reach the edges, wick up. If you see sooting or a melt pool deeper than ½″, wick down.

CD wicks are round-core cotton/paper wicks — rigid, consistent, good for beginners. ECO wicks are flat braided with a paper core — self-trimming, minimal mushrooming, excellent for soy and coconut wax. LX wicks are flat braided with no core — designed to reduce soot and carbon buildup, popular in paraffin and blends.

For a 3″ diameter container with soy wax, start with a CD-22, ECO-10, or LX-22. For coconut soy, try CD-24 or ECO-12. For paraffin, LX-22 or CD-22. These are starting points — always burn test before your production pour.

Wooden wicks create a crackling flame and a wide melt pool. They're popular for aesthetic reasons but are harder to size correctly. They work best in soy and coconut wax. Containers larger than ~3.5″ usually need a double wooden wick. The first burn may be slow to establish — allow extra time.

Mushrooming is carbon buildup on the wick tip — it forms a ball or mushroom shape after burning. It causes flickering and smoking. Always trim the wick to ¼″ before each burn. Consistent severe mushrooming usually means your wick is too large for the container.

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Select your container diameter and wax type — the calculator shows a suggested wick series alongside your wax and fragrance amounts.

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