Candle making guide
Choosing your wax is one of the first and most important decisions in candle making. Each wax has real tradeoffs — scent throw, burn time, appearance, ease of use, and cost. This guide covers everything you need to know to choose the right wax for your goals.
| Wax | Scent throw | Burn time | Difficulty | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soy | Medium | Long | Beginner | Low–mid | Container candles, eco market |
| Paraffin | Strong | Medium | Beginner | Low | Maximum scent throw, pillars |
| Beeswax | Light | Longest | Intermediate | High | Natural/luxury market |
| Coconut | Medium–strong | Long | Intermediate | Mid–high | Premium containers, clean burn |
| Soy/paraffin blend | Medium–strong | Long | Beginner | Low–mid | Best of both worlds |
Soy wax is the most popular candle-making wax and for good reason — it's forgiving for beginners, burns cleanly, and markets well to eco-conscious buyers. Made from hydrogenated soybean oil, it's a renewable resource and biodegradable.
Pros
Cons
Paraffin is the traditional candle wax and still dominates commercial candle production. It's a petroleum byproduct that has been used for candles since the 1850s. Despite its reputation among natural candle enthusiasts, properly made paraffin candles burn cleanly with a well-sized wick.
Pros
Cons
Beeswax is the oldest candle material in history. It has a naturally sweet, honey-like scent and burns longer than any other wax. The tradeoffs are significant cost and a very low maximum fragrance load — beeswax is best appreciated lightly scented or unscented.
Pros
Cons
Coconut wax is the premium choice of the modern candle market. It has a beautiful smooth finish, excellent scent throw, and a very clean burn. Its main drawbacks are cost and a very low melt point — finished coconut candles must be kept away from heat.
Pros
Cons
For beginners: Start with soy wax. It's forgiving, affordable, widely available, and easy to market. Most beginner-friendly supplies and tutorials are written for soy.
For maximum scent throw: Paraffin or a soy/paraffin blend. If scent performance is your top priority and your customers aren't buying specifically for natural ingredients, paraffin outperforms everything else.
For a premium or luxury brand: Coconut wax or coconut/soy blend. The smooth finish and clean burn justify a higher price point.
For the natural/artisan market: Beeswax for pillar and taper candles; coconut or soy for containers.
Once you've chosen your wax, use our free calculator to find the exact fragrance load, wick size, and pour temperature for your batch.
Open the candle calculator →