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Learn›Industries›Candles and Home Fragrance›Candles›11. The Rules for Candles›Lead wick ruleShop all candles →

The lead wick ban, and what it requires of you

By Dwight Davis, Founder

Updated

On this page9

If every wick you use is cotton, paper-cored or wood with no metal core, the rule asks nothing of you. If any wick has a metal core, usually zinc, three things apply. The lead in the metal core must be no more than 0.06 percent of the core's weight; each outer container or wrapper the candles ship in must say "Conforms to 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13)"; and you must issue a General Certificate of Conformity. The statement goes on the shipping carton, never the candle label, and the box a candle sits in on the shelf is exempt unless it is also the only box it ships in. The rule has applied since October 15, 2003.

The rule, word for word

The rule is one paragraph of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act regulations, 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13), which declares the listed articles banned hazardous substances [1]. The text on the current CFR, which matches the amendment as CPSC published it in 2003 [8], reads [1]:

(i) Candles made with metal-cored wicks. Candles manufactured or imported on or after October 15, 2003, made with metal-cored candlewicks, unless: (A) The metal core of each candlewick has a lead content (calculated as the metal) of not more than 0.06 percent of the total weight of the metal core; and (B) Each outer container or wrapper in which candles subject to paragraph (a)(13)(i)(A) of this section are shipped, including each outer container or wrapper in which such candles are distributed to a retail outlet, is labeled "Conforms to 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13)." For purposes of this paragraph (B), the term "outer container or wrapper" does not include the immediate container in which candle(s) is/are intended to be displayed at retail or during use in the home, unless that container or wrapper is also the only container or wrapper in which the candle(s) is/are shipped to a retailer. (ii) Metal-cored candlewicks. Metal-cored candlewicks manufactured or imported on or after October 15, 2003, unless: (A) The metal core of each candlewick has a lead content (calculated as the metal) of not more than 0.06 percent of the total weight of the metal core; and (B) Each outer container or wrapper in which candlewicks subject to paragraph (a)(13)(ii)(A) of this section is shipped, including each outer container or wrapper of a shipment distributed to a retail outlet, is labeled "Conforms to 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13)." For purposes of this paragraph (B), the term "outer container or wrapper" does not include the immediate container in which candlewick(s) is/are intended to be displayed or sold at retail, unless that container or wrapper is also the only container or wrapper in which the candlewick(s) is/are shipped to a retailer.

Part (i) governs you as a candle maker. Part (ii) governs whoever sells you the wicks.

What each part means for a small maker

"Metal-cored." The rule covers wicks with a metal core and nothing else. When CPSC adopted it, cores were made of cotton, paper, hemp, metal or polypropylene, and practically all metal cores were zinc [2]. Cotton, paper-cored and wood wicks are outside it. Candle wick types explains how to tell what core a wick has.

"Not more than 0.06 percent of the total weight of the metal core." The limit is measured against the metal core alone, never the whole wick or candle. CPSC estimated in 2003 that zinc-cored wicks had trace lead of "about 0.01 percent" [2], well under the limit. Zinc cores of that kind met the rule with room to spare; wicks with more lead in the metal became banned.

"Manufactured or imported on or after October 15, 2003." The rule took effect 180 days after publication on April 18, 2003 [2]. Every candle made today is covered.

"Each outer container or wrapper." The statement goes on what the candles ship in: a master carton of 12 candles to a shop, a case of wicks to you. CPSC's candle guidance says the same thing in plain terms: bulk shipments must carry "Conforms to 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13)" on the shipping package or outer wrapping, and the statement does not need to appear on retail packaging [3].

The display container exception. The jar, tin or gift box a candle sits in on a shelf or in a home is not an "outer container," unless it is also the only container it ships to a retailer in [1].

Where the statement goes, case by case

These cases apply only when the candle has a metal-cored wick.

How the candle reaches the next buyerStatement needed?Where
Twelve jar candles in a master carton to a gift shopYesOn the master carton [1] [3]
Candles in individual gift boxes, packed in a shipping carton to a retailerYesOn the shipping carton; not required on the gift boxes [1]
One boxed candle shipped alone to a retailer in its own retail box, no outer cartonYesOn that box, because it is the only container it ships in [1]
A candle sold to a consumer at your market tableThe rule's statement requirement is tied to the outer containers candles are shipped in, including to retail outlets [1]; a candle handed over the table travels in nonePut it on the cartons your candles travel in, and keep your certificate
Candles shipped direct to a consumer from your websiteThe rule text speaks of each outer container the candles are shipped in [1]The cautious reading is to mark the shipping carton; confirm with CPSC
A case of zinc-cored wicks bought from a supplierYes, by the supplier, under part (ii) [1]On the supplier's outer carton; check that it is there

The last two rows are the ones the rule text does not answer in so many words for a one-person seller. If you use metal-cored wicks and sell direct, the simplest course is to mark every outer shipping carton and ask CPSC's Small Business Ombudsman, (888) 531-9070 or SBO@cpsc.gov, to confirm [3].

Never put the statement on the candle's own label as a substitute. It is not required there [3], and it does not satisfy the carton requirement when there is an outer carton.

The certificate that comes with it

The rule itself does not mention certificates; that duty comes from the Consumer Product Safety Act's certification rules. CPSC states that manufacturers and importers must issue a General Certificate of Conformity for metal-cored wicks and candles that use them, citing "16 CFR § 1500.17(a)(13)", and that there is no certification requirement for nonmetal-cored wicks or candles that use them [3]. Certificates of conformity for candles shows how to write one.

How you know your wick conforms

The 2003 rule dropped the record-keeping and tracking requirements CPSC had proposed [2]. It says that manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers "may wish to test products to ensure compliance with the regulation," and that firms may also "obtain assurances from suppliers that the lead content of the metal does not exceed 0.06 percent by weight" [2]. For a maker buying zinc-cored wicks, the practical steps are:

  1. Ask the wick supplier, in writing, for its certificate or a statement that the metal core meets 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13), with the wick series and lot it covers.
  2. Check that the supplier's outer carton carries the conformity statement [1].
  3. Keep both with your batch records so a candle's wick lot can be traced to its documentation; records a candle business keeps covers how.
  4. Use that documentation as the basis for your own certificate.

Lead the rule does not cover

The wick rule is the only federal rule written for candles, but it is not the only place lead turns up in candle enforcement.

  • California Prop 65. A 60-day notice dated October 16, 2026 alleges lead exposure from a scented candle sold at HomeGoods, by hand-to-mouth contact [4]. Another, filed January 18, 2024, alleges lead in a satin brass candle snuffer [5]. These are allegations by private enforcers, not findings. See state rules.
  • Painted or coated vessels. The federal lead paint ban, 16 CFR 1303, covers paint and similar surface coatings sold for consumer use, toys and other articles intended for children, and furniture, at 0.009 percent lead since August 14, 2009 [6]. A candle jar is not on that list, but Kohl's requires scrapable surface coatings on candles to meet 90 ppm (0.0090 percent) under the 1303 test method as a buyer requirement [7].
  • Retailers that ban metal cores outright. Kohl's protocol states "No metal core allowed in wick" [7].

Context from the 2003 rulemaking

CPSC's 2003 estimates are useful background and are dated: zinc-cored wicks were about 15 to 20 percent of U.S. wick production, and the agency expected perhaps two to three million shipping cartons a year would need the statement [2]. The industry's annual cost of the labeling was estimated at $100,000 to $300,000 [8]. These figures describe the market in 2003. For your own situation today, confirm with CPSC.

Writing your certificate for zinc wicks

If you use metal-cored wicks, the remaining task is the certificate. Certificates of conformity for candles lists the seven required elements and works through one for a small maker.

References

  1. 16 CFR 1500.17, Banned hazardous substances, paragraph (a)(13) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), as amended at 68 FR 19147, April 18, 2003, read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/1500.17
  2. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Metal-Cored Candlewicks Containing Lead and Candles With Such Wicks; Final Rule, 68 FR 19142, April 18, 2003. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2003-04-18/pdf/03-9255.pdf
  3. 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
  4. California Office of the Attorney General, Proposition 65 60-Day Notice 2026-04919 (Environmental Health Advocates, Inc. to Decor-Ware International Inc. and HomeGoods, LLC), October 16, 2026. https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/prop65/notices/2026-04919.pdf
  5. California Office of the Attorney General, Proposition 65 60-Day Notice 2024-00228 (General Wax Co., Inc.; satin brass candle snuffer), filed January 18, 2024. https://oag.ca.gov/prop65/60-Day-Notice-2024-00228
  6. 16 CFR 1303.1, Scope and application (Ban of lead-containing paint) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/1303.1
  7. 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
  8. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, final rule text and economic findings, 68 FR 19148, April 18, 2003 (govinfo page 03-9324). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2003-04-18/pdf/03-9324.pdf
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