Wooden Wick Soy Candles: How to Choose, Size and Use Wooden Wicks
Wooden wicks in soy wax: how they compare with cotton, single versus booster and double strips, which width fits which jar, how to install, prime, trim and light them, and what to do when a wood wick will not stay lit.
Published: 7 min readAuthor: Mikołaj Bukowski
Wooden wicks work in soy candles, but they are less forgiving than cotton: they need the right strip width for the container, a short trim of 1/8 to 3/16 inch (3-5 mm) before every burn, and a wax that reaches the wood fast enough. Get those three right and you get a wide, low flame and the soft crackle people buy wood wick candles for. Below is how to choose, size, prime, light and fix them, based on what we have learned testing them in our workshop.
Wooden wicks versus cotton in soy wax
A wood wick is a thin, flat strip of wood held upright in a metal clip at the bottom of the container. Instead of drawing melted wax up a braid, it draws it along the grain of the strip, and the flame sits along the top edge. That is why the flame is wide and low rather than tall and pointed.
| Wooden wick | Cotton wick (ECO, CD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Flame | wide, low, horizontal | taller, teardrop-shaped |
| Sound | soft crackle | silent |
| Sizing | by strip width; narrow margin for error | many sizes; easier to dial in |
| In pure soy wax | can go out if wax does not reach the strip fast enough | the standard choice |
| In soy-coconut blends | works best | works well |
| Trim before each burn | 1/8-3/16 in (3-5 mm) | 1/4 in (5-6 mm) |
| Upkeep | remove char, trim, light along the full length | trim, remove the mushroom |
The crackle comes from the wood burning along the top of the strip. How loud it is depends on the wood and the maker, and on keeping the wick trimmed and free of char; treat it as a bonus, not a guarantee. If the sound matters to you, buy two or three types from one supplier and test them side by side. Our advice is the same as in the candle wick size chart: if you have never made a candle, master cotton first. Wood is not mysterious, but the window between too small and too big is narrow.
Single, booster and double wood wicks
- Single strip. One flat piece of wood. Fine for small and medium jars and for softer blends such as soy-coconut.
- Booster. A main strip with a thinner second layer attached to it. The booster draws more fuel to the flame, which helps the wick stay lit in denser waxes like pure soy and in wider jars.
- Double strip. Two strips of similar thickness side by side. More fuel and a bigger flame than a single strip, for wide containers near the top of a width's range.
In pure soy we reach for a booster first. If a single strip keeps shrinking to a tiny blue flame in your wax, a booster of the same width is usually a better fix than jumping two widths up.
The Complete Wavemade Guide to Natural Candle Making
The guide's wick tables and burn-test protocol are the same ones we use before any new wick, cotton or wood, goes into a full batch.
Wooden wick size by container diameter
Wood wicks are sized by the width of the strip. The table is the same starting point our wick calculator uses. Thickness and boosters vary between makers, so treat it as the place to start your burn test, not the final answer.
| Inside diameter | Wood strip width | Typical container |
|---|---|---|
| up to 1.75 in (45 mm) | 3/8 in (10 mm) | tea lights, mini tins |
| 1.75-2.5 in (45-65 mm) | 1/2 in (12.7 mm) | 2-6 oz tins and jars |
| 2.5-3 in (65-75 mm) | 5/8 in (16 mm) | 8-9 oz jars |
| 3-3.25 in (75-85 mm) | 3/4 in (19 mm) | 12-14 oz jars |
| 3.25-4 in (85-100 mm) | 7/8-1 in (22-25 mm) | wide tumblers; a booster or double strip helps |
| over 4 in (100 mm) | two wood wicks | bowls and wide vessels; one wick will tunnel |
Wick size calculator
Enter the inside diameter of your container. The calculator gives a size range for each wick series and tells you where to start the burn test.
Each wick covers about 2.75 in of diameter.
- ECO · Recommended range
- ECO 10-12
- Burn test: start with ECO 10 and ECO 12
- CD · Recommended range
- CD 12-14
- Burn test: start with CD 12 and CD 14
- HTP · Recommended range
- HTP 83-93
- Burn test: start with HTP 83 and HTP 93
- TCR · Recommended range
- TCR 21/12-24/14
- Burn test: start with TCR 21/12 and TCR 24/14
- Wood wick (strip width)
- 5/8" (16 mm)
- single or booster-ply strip; needs testing in soy even more than cotton
This is a starting point, not a verdict. Always burn-test two adjacent sizes: full melt pool after 2-3 hours, about 1/2 in deep, a calm 1-1.25 in flame.
How to install, prime and trim a wood wick
- 1
Seat the strip in the clip
Slide the wood firmly into the metal clip so it stands straight. A loose strip leans as the wax sets and the flame ends up against one wall.
- 2
Prime it if it is bare
Many wood wicks are sold already coated in wax. If yours is bare, dip it in melted wax two or three times and let it harden. A primed wick lights easily and draws wax from the first minute.
- 3
Fix it dead center
Use a wick sticker or a dot of hot glue. Ordinary glue and double-sided tape let go in the heat.
- 4
Pour and check it stays vertical
Pour at 130-150°F (55-65°C) as usual and check the strip is still straight once the wax starts to cloud.
- 5
Trim after the wax has set
Cut it to 1/8-3/16 in (3-5 mm) above the wax with wick trimmers or nail clippers. Do not snap it by hand; a ragged edge burns unevenly.
- 6
Cure before you test
Burn-test only after the full cure of 14 days, explained in soy candle cure time. An uncured candle tells you little about the wick.
How to light a wooden wick
Hold the flame along the length of the strip rather than at one corner, and tilt the candle slightly so the flame runs across the wood. A wood wick can take a few seconds to catch: the flame starts small and grows as the wax reaches it. The first burn, as with any soy candle, lasts until the melt pool reaches the walls, roughly one hour per inch of diameter. The rest of the routine is in how to burn a soy candle.
Troubleshooting wooden wicks
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Won't stay lit, flame shrinks and dies | strip too narrow, wick too long or covered in char, wax not reaching the wood fast enough | trim to 1/8-3/16 in and remove char; one width up or a booster; consider a soy-coconut blend |
| Wick drowns in the melt pool | trimmed too short, or strip too narrow for the jar | leave 1/8 in above the wax; one width up |
| Tunneling | strip too narrow, or a short first burn | one width up; first burn to a full melt pool |
| Flame too big, soot, blackened glass | wick too long or too wide, too much fragrance | trim to 1/8 in; one width down; keep fragrance within 6-10% |
| Glass too hot to touch below the melt pool | wick too wide for the container | one width down |
| Little or no crackle | char build-up or a long wick | pinch off the char when cool and trim; crackle also varies by wood |
| Black flakes in the wax | char breaking off the tip | remove the char with a tissue before relighting |
If a candle has already started to tunnel, the foil and heat-gun rescues in why is my soy candle tunneling work for wood wicks too. A wood wick that burns well but leaves the room barely scented usually has a melt pool problem, not a fragrance problem; see how to make soy candles smell stronger.
Frequently asked questions
Do wooden wicks work in soy wax?
Yes, but they are pickier than cotton. In pure soy a narrow strip can go out because the wax does not reach the wood fast enough. A booster wick, the correct width for the jar, and a short trim solve most of it, and soy-coconut blends are the easiest wax for wood wicks.
How short should you trim a wooden wick?
To 1/8-3/16 inch (3-5 mm) above the wax before every burn, and remove the charred tip when it is cool. Longer than that and the flame grows, soots or goes out; shorter and the wick can drown.
Why won't my wooden wick stay lit?
The most common causes are a wick that is too long or covered in char, a strip too narrow for the container, and pure soy wax that does not feed the wood fast enough. Trim and clean the wick first; if it still goes out, try one width up or a booster.
What size wooden wick for an 8 oz jar?
Most 8-9 oz jars are 2.5-3 inches (65-75 mm) across, which means a 5/8 inch (16 mm) strip as a starting point. Burn-test it against 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch after a full cure to confirm.
Do wooden wick candles crackle the whole time?
Not always. The crackle varies with the wood and the maker and is strongest on a clean, freshly trimmed wick. If it fades during a burn, let the candle cool, remove the char and trim before the next one.
Sources
The Complete Wavemade Guide to Natural Candle Making
9 chapters of tested recipes and troubleshooting techniques - instant digital download, lifetime access to updates.
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