What should you tell customers about burning your candle?
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Tell them six things: trim the wick to 1/4 inch before every lighting, never leave the candle burning unattended, keep it at least 12 inches from anything that can catch fire and out of reach of children and pets, burn it on a stable heat-resistant surface away from drafts, put it out with a snuffer or a gentle breath and never water, and stop burning when 1/2 inch of wax remains. Each of those comes from the National Candle Association's consumer safety tips. Add a first-burn line drawn from your own burn tests. This page gives a card you can adapt, the source for every line, and what to add for wood wicks, tins and pillars.
A card you can adapt
Every line below paraphrases the NCA's Candle Safety Tips (modified August 12, 2025) [1], except the first-burn line, which you fill in from your own test results.
Burning your candle Trim the wick to 1/4 inch before each use. On the first burn, let the melted wax reach close to the edge before you put it out (about ___ hours for this candle). Never leave a burning candle unattended. Keep it out of reach of children and pets. Keep it at least 12 inches from curtains, bedding, books and anything else that can catch fire, and at least 3 inches from other candles. Burn on a stable, heat-resistant surface, away from open windows, fans and air vents, in a well-ventilated room. Put it out with a snuffer or a gentle breath. Never use water. Make sure the wick has stopped glowing. Do not touch or move the candle until the wax has cooled completely. Stop burning when 1/2 inch of wax remains.
Keep the card separate from the F2058 warning, which has its own wording (the candle warning label). On a small jar, the warning goes on the label and the card can go on a hang tag, the box, a printed insert or your website.
Where each line comes from, and why it matters
| Instruction | Source | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Trim to 1/4 inch before each use | NCA [1]; CandleScience also trims to 1/4 inch before lighting in its soy tutorial [2] | A long wick makes a taller flame and more soot [1] |
| Never leave burning unattended | NCA [1] | Burning within sight is the first theme of the F2058 warning [3] |
| Out of reach of children and pets | NCA [1] | The F2058 warning covers children; ASTM's summary adds pets [3] |
| 12 inches from flammables | NCA [1] | Combustibles too close is the leading cause in fire data ASTM reports [3] |
| 3 inches between candles | NCA [1] | Candles close together can melt each other [1] |
| Stable, heat-resistant surface; sturdy holder | NCA [1] | Tipping is one of the four causes the F2417 fire safety standard addresses [3] |
| Away from windows, fans and vents; well ventilated | NCA [1] | NCA lists open windows, fans and air vents as places to avoid [1] |
| Snuffer or gentle breath, no water | NCA [1] | Water on hot wax can make it splatter [1] |
| Do not move until cooled | NCA [1] | Liquid wax burns and spills |
| Stop at 1/2 inch of wax | NCA [1] | NCA's end point for consumers; see the note on stop points below |
Two figures that differ between sources
The stop point. NCA tells consumers to stop when 1/2 inch of wax remains [1]. CandleScience's burn test instructions run test candles until 1/4 inch remains, so makers can see what happens at the end [4]. Use NCA's 1/2 inch for customers; the 1/4 inch figure is for your own supervised tests (how to burn test a candle).
How long to burn at a time. NCA's tips page gives no hour limit [1]. CandleScience burns test candles for up to 4 hours per session [4], and Kohl's tests most candles in 4 hour sessions [5]. Kohl's 100-Z also lists the consumer line "Do not burn more than 2 hours at one time" among its labeling items [5]; that is one retailer's requirement for candles it buys, shorter than its own test sessions, and no federal rule asks for it. If you print a time limit, make it one your own burn tests support (or the buyer's line, if a buyer requires one), and state it as a maximum. Do not copy a figure from another maker's card.
The first-burn line
A first-burn line is only as good as the testing behind it, so write it from your own results. In CandleScience's burn test method, a well-wicked container candle's melt pool reaches within 1/4 inch (6 mm) of the edge within 3 to 4 hours [4]. If your burn test record shows your candle reaches that point in, say, 3 hours, print "about 3 hours." If a candle needs much longer than your session limit to reach the edge, fix the wick size before you sell rather than writing a longer first burn onto the card; see why candles tunnel.
Lines to add for particular candles
| Candle | Add | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wood wick | "Trim the wick to 3/16 inch (5 mm) or less before each lighting" | Supplies for Candles gives 5 mm or less [6]; Makesy gives about 3/16 inch [7]; both are sellers' figures |
| Tin or metal container | "The container gets hot. Do not touch or move it while burning or until cool" | Kohl's sets a lower external temperature limit for metal (140°F) than for glass or ceramic (175°F) [5] |
| Glass jar | "Stop if the glass cracks, chips or the flame touches the side" | Jar breakage is the hazard in recent CPSC candle recalls, including Little Cow Company, February 5, 2026 [8] |
| Pillar, votive or taper | "Burn in a holder that fits and catches dripping wax, on a heat-resistant surface" | NCA (sturdy holders, heat-resistant surfaces) [1] |
| Multi-wick | "Trim every wick before each lighting, and keep all wicks lit together" | NCA trim rule [1], applied to each wick |
Lines to leave off
- Health or mood claims ("relaxing," "helps you sleep"); FDA treats some of these as drug claims. See what you can claim.
- Numbers you have not tested, such as "burns 50 hours." Kohl's requires burn time claims to be met with no shortfall (-0 percent) [5].
- Advice no source supports, such as burning one hour per inch of diameter.
The sources above are current as of October 2026. For anything specific to your candle, your own burn test results come first.
Trimming, in more depth
The instruction customers most often skip is the trim. Trimming the wick covers why 1/4 inch, how to trim a wick sunk in a jar, and the different figures for wood wicks.
References
- National Candle Association, Candle Safety Tips, modified August 12, 2025. https://candles.org/candle-safety/
- CandleScience, How to Make a Soy Candle, updated October 27, 2025. https://www.candlescience.com/learning/how-to-make-a-soy-candle
- Doug Clauson, Increasing Candle Safety, ASTM Standardization News, March/April 2013 (posted July 26, 2016). https://www.astm.org/news/increasing-candle-safety-ma13
- CandleScience, How to Conduct a Burn Test, undated, read October 22, 2026. https://candlescience.com/learning/how-to-conduct-a-burn-test/
- Kohl's, Private Brands Performance Claims Test Protocols 100, Protocol 100-Z: Candle (including freestanding, taper, tealight, votive, filled and novelty candles), revised February 2025 (candle limits unchanged from 100-Y, February 2023; adds a Hardlines Regulatory Supplement). https://link.kohls.com/content/dam/klink/100-Z-CANDLE.pdf
- Supplies for Candles, Wooden Wick (category page with size chart and notes), undated, read October 22, 2026. https://www.suppliesforcandles.co.uk/product-category/candle-wicks/wooden-wick/
- Makesy, A Guide To Selecting Your Wooden Wick, August 28, 2022. https://makesy.com/blogs/news/a-guide-to-selecting-your-wooden-wick
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Little Cow Company Recalls 9 oz Candles in Glass Jars Due to Fire, Burn and Laceration Hazards, recall 26-241, February 5, 2026. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026/Little-Cow-Company-Recalls-9-oz-Candles-in-Glass-Jars-Due-to-Fire-Burn-and-Laceration-Hazards
