Calculating the candle burning time
So, you’ve made your candles, perfected your packaging, and now you’re ready to sell—but you want to tell your customers exactly how much burn time they can expect from the candle.
It’s important to note that not all candles are the same. The wax, container, fragrance, dyes, and wicks you use will all affect the burn time. Therefore, the same burn time won’t always apply to every candle in your collection. Below we’ve created our guide on how to calculate the burn time for your candle!
How to determine your burn time
Start by weighing your finished, unburned candle on a scale. If it’s a container candle, you’ll need to subtract the weight of the empty container. This gives you the initial wax weight only.
Next, light your candle and let it burn for a standard four hours.
After the first four hours, extinguish the candle, let it cool, and allow the wax to fully reset. Then weigh your candle again, remembering to subtract the container weight once more (you may want to keep a note of the container’s empty weight for reference). This is your after-burn weight.
Now subtract the after-burn weight from the initial candle weight, then divide this by the number of hours you burned the candle. The result is your hourly burn rate.
In conclusion
To find out the total number of hours your candle will burn, divide the initial candle weight by the hourly burn rate.
Formula:
- (Original weight – After-burn weight) ÷ Burn hours = Hourly burn rate
- Original weight (minus container weight) ÷ Hourly burn rate = Approximate burn time
Best tips
- Make sure to use the same unit of measurement for all weights—we recommend grams, since that’s what most people already use when weighing wax and fragrance. It also makes the math easier.
- Grams are a smaller unit of measurement, which means your calculations will be easier to work with (e.g., 5 g/hour).
- It’s best to burn and measure your candle multiple times. The first test burn can sometimes be inaccurate since it’s the initial one. Repeated testing will give you a more accurate representation of burn time.
- Ensure the wick you’re using is the correct size. A candle with a wick that’s too large will burn faster, while one with a wick that’s too small will burn slower. Choosing the right wick is essential for calculating an accurate burn time.
