What must a candle label include?

Updated October 2026

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The required minimum, element by element Required only in some cases Voluntary in law, expected in practice What does not go on the candle label A label layout that covers the minimum Getting the weight right References

Federal law requires three things on a packaged candle sold to consumers: what it is (the statement of identity), how much is in it (net quantity, in both ounces and grams), and who made or distributes it (name and place of business). These come from the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act and the FTC's rules at 16 CFR 500. Add cautionary labeling if the candle contains a hazardous substance, and a country of origin if it is imported. The fire safety warning is voluntary in law but expected by retailers and insurers, so most makers should treat it as part of the label. This page lists every element, where it goes, and what to leave off.

The required minimum, element by element

Element	What the rule says	Where it goes	Candle example
Statement of identity	The principal display panel must state what the product is, by its common or usual name or an appropriately descriptive term, and the statement "shall not be false, misleading, or deceptive in any respect" [1]	"A principal feature of the principal display panel," "in lines generally parallel to the base on which the package or commodity rests as it is designed to be displayed" [1]	"Scented soy candle," "Beeswax pillar candle"
Net quantity	A declaration of net quantity, stated separately and accurately on the principal display panel [2], in both avoirdupois and SI metric units, such as "Net Wt 15 oz (425 g)" [3]	Bottom 30 percent of the principal display panel, separated from other text (panels of 5 square inches or less are exempt from the bottom 30 percent rule) [2]	"Net Wt 8 oz (227 g)"
Name and place of business	The label must conspicuously give the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor: street address, city, state and ZIP, though the street address may be omitted if it is listed in a readily accessible public directory or website [4]	Anywhere on the label, conspicuous [4]	"Made by Example Candle Co., 123 Main St, Anytown, ST 00000"

If someone else makes the candle for you, the name must be qualified by a phrase showing your connection, such as "Manufactured for" or "Distributed by" followed by your name [4]. A corporation uses its actual corporate name; an individual or partnership uses the name under which the business is conducted [4].

The principal display panel is the part of the label most likely to be displayed, presented, shown or examined when the product is offered for sale [5]. On a round jar it is the 40 percent of the circumference most likely to be displayed under normal conditions [5]. For most jar candles that is the front label.

The statute behind these rules, 15 U.S.C. 1453, requires the identity and the name and place of business on the label, and net quantity in a uniform location on the principal display panel using both the customary inch and pound system and the SI metric system [6]. Weights, type sizes, tapers and how to check your fills are on stating net weight on a candle.

Required only in some cases

When	What to add	Source
The candle contains a hazardous substance under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act	Cautionary labeling: signal word, statement of hazard, precautions, first aid, and "Keep out of the reach of children," among other elements	CPSC candle guidance [7]; 15 U.S.C. 1261(p) [8]; see which laws apply
The candle or its components are imported	The English name of the country of origin, in a conspicuous place; if the article is exempt, on its container	19 U.S.C. 1304 [9]
The candle makes a repellent claim	The minimum-risk labeling conditions, including each active ingredient by name and percentage by weight, all inert ingredients, and the company's street address, ZIP code and telephone number, unless the product is federally registered	40 CFR 152.25(f) [10]; see citronella and bug candles
Your business has 10 or more employees and the candle exposes California consumers to a listed chemical	A Proposition 65 warning	State rules
You say "Made in USA"	Only when final assembly or processing, all significant processing, and all or virtually all ingredients or components are in or from the United States	16 CFR 323.2 [11]; see what you can claim

Voluntary in law, expected in practice

The fire safety warning. ASTM F2058 sets a warning with a safety alert symbol and either the signal word "WARNING" with text or a set of pictograms, on the unit of sale and visible at the point of sale [12]. Federal law does not require it; CPSC lists F2058 among voluntary standards [7]. Retailers do: Kohl's requires each candle, or the candle with its container or package, to carry a label meeting ASTM F2058 [13]. Wording and placement are on the candle warning label.

Burn instructions. No rule requires them. They are how you tell customers to trim the wick and stop before the end; see burn instructions to give customers.

What a large retailer adds. Kohl's Test Protocol 100-Z (February 2025), as one example, asks for these on the initial package: the distributor's name or other identification of the maker, with city, state and ZIP code; the product's identity; net quantity by weight, measure or count in both metric and U.S. units (for regularly shaped candles, count, length or height, diameter or width, and net weight); country of origin, legible, permanent, conspicuous and visible at the point of purchase; and F2058 cautionary labeling with the signal word WARNING and the statements "Burn within sight," "Keep away from things that can catch fire" and "Keep away from children" [13]. It also asks for a tracking label with the factory number, month and year of manufacture and UPC where space allows [13]. These are one retailer's requirements and carry no force of federal law. Ask each buyer for its labeling requirements in writing.

What does not go on the candle label

The lead wick statement. "Conforms to 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13)" applies only to metal-cored wicks and goes on each outer shipping carton or wrapper, never the candle label; the retail display container is exempt unless it is also the only container the candle ships in [14]. See lead in wicks.
Qualifying words in the net quantity, such as "jumbo," "full" or "minimum" [2].
Ingredients that are not really there. The identity may not name an ingredient that is not present in a substantial or significantly effective amount [1].
Health claims that treat or relieve a condition; FDA treats those as drug claims [15].

A label layout that covers the minimum

For a jar candle with a front and back label, one workable arrangement:

Front label (principal display panel)	Back or bottom label
Brand and scent name	Name and place of business
Statement of identity, for example "Scented soy wax candle"	F2058 warning with safety alert symbol
Net quantity in the bottom 30 percent, for example "Net Wt 8 oz (227 g)"	Burn instructions
	Country of origin if imported; any lot or batch code

No federal labeling rule requires a batch code, but it is what lets you trace a candle to its records if a customer reports a problem; see if a candle you sold causes a fire. For label stock and adhesion on glass and tins, see labels that stay on a candle.

These are the federal labeling rules as of October 2026. Your state weights and measures office and each retailer can confirm what they expect on your label.

Getting the weight right

The element most labels get wrong is the net quantity: the units, the type size and whether the number matches what is in the jar. Stating net weight on a candle works through it.

References

16 CFR 500.4, Statement of identity (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/500.4
16 CFR 500.6, Net quantity of contents declaration, location (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/500.6
16 CFR 500.8, Units of weight or mass and measure (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/500.8
16 CFR 500.5, Name and place of business of manufacturer, packer or distributor (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), as amended at 80 FR 71689, November 17, 2015, read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/500.5
16 CFR 500.2, Terms defined (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/500.2
15 U.S.C. 1453, Requirement of label (Fair Packaging and Labeling Act) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1453
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Candles Business Guidance, undated, read October 22, 2026. https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Candles
15 U.S.C. 1261, Definitions (Federal Hazardous Substances Act) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1261
19 U.S.C. 1304, Marking of imported articles and containers (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/1304
40 CFR 152.25, Exemptions for pesticides of a character not requiring FIFRA regulation (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/152.25
16 CFR 323.2, Prohibited acts (Made in USA Labeling) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/323.2
ASTM International, ASTM F2058-07(2021) Standard Specification for Candle Fire Safety Labeling (store scope page), last updated May 24, 2022. https://store.astm.org/f2058-07r21.html
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
16 CFR 1500.17, Banned hazardous substances, paragraph (a)(13) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/1500.17
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Aromatherapy, content current as of September 8, 2023. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/products/aromatherapy