CD, ECO, HTP and LX Candle Wicks Compared

CD, ECO, HTP and LX are wick series, which are families with their own build and their own size numbers. The suppliers I read describe all four as cotton-based, with paper threads or special treatments in most of them. The difference is in how they burn, and suppliers do not fully agree on which wax suits which series. So use the series your wax maker's sheet names, test two or three sizes in your own jar, and never compare size numbers from one series to another.

To pick the size within a series, see How to choose a candle wick size.

What is each series?

This is what two suppliers say in their own words. A dash means I did not find it on the pages I opened.

CandleScience also says a full description of what is in each series is proprietary and not published by the maker. So the table is the suppliers' descriptions, not a spec I could check.

Which wax goes with which series?

It depends who you ask. CandleScience's wicking guide lists soy under CD and ECO, some soy waxes under LX, and named paraffin waxes under all three, while calling LX the best wick for paraffin. Its main wick page says it generally recommends ECO for beeswax. Lone Star says ECO for soy and palm, and CD, HTP or LX for paraffin and harder blends. Lone Star adds that soy and single-pour waxes generally need a bigger wick than its base-paraffin chart, sometimes one to three sizes up. The practical rule is to start with the wick series your wax maker's own sheet names.

CandleScience's lab notes on one coconut-soy wax show why one chart is not the last word. In that test, CD and LX did well in smaller jars, LX also did well in the widest, and ECO did well in the middle sizes where the others struggled to get full melt pools. The notes call one ECO result, working only in containers 2.5 to 3 inches (6.4 to 7.6 cm) wide, a "strange anomaly." That is one wax, one test.

Can I compare size numbers across series?

No. CandleScience says within a series a larger number is a larger wick, "But the numbers between series are not comparable. For instance, an LX-22 may or may not be bigger than an ECO 8."

Lone Star's own charts show it. Here is the size each series lists for the same jar width, copied from its guide to wicking. Each chart lists a band of widths per size, so I picked widths inside a band, not on an edge. "Not listed" means the chart has no size for that width.

Same jar, four charts

Lone Star's ECO chart stops at 3.75 inches (9.5 cm), which is why the last ECO cell is blank. The numbers do not line up. CD-10 and ECO-10 match at 3.1 inches, but at 2.6 inches the same two series are CD-8 and ECO-6, and CandleScience says numbers do not compare across series anyway. The columns are not a like-for-like test either: Lone Star rates CD, HTP and LX for base paraffin and ECO for soy. Other suppliers number their wicks differently, so a chart only works with that supplier's wicks.

When should I switch series?

• The top size of your series is still under-wicked in your jar after a fair burn test. See Signs your candle wick is too small for how to tell.
• Your wax maker's sheet names another series for your wax. The sheet beats a general chart.
• Your jar is wider than 3.5 inches (8.9 cm). Makesy says to test a larger wick series or move to two or three wicks for vessels over 3.5 inches, and recommends double or triple wicks at 4 inches and up.

Change one series at a time, and test the new series from scratch. CandleScience says jumping from series to series can give confusing results.

Worked example: a fair series test

Say you make a soy container candle in a 3.1 inch jar and want to try three series. CandleScience's test changes only the wick, so treat each series as its own row and test two neighboring sizes in it. All numbers are examples.

• Series: 3
• Sizes each: 2
• Test candles: 3 x 2 = 6
• Fill per candle: 8 oz (227 g), wax and oil together
• Oil at an 8 percent load of the wax weight: wax = 8 / 1.08 = 7.41 oz (210 g), oil = 7.41 x 0.08 = 0.59 oz (17 g)
• All 6 candles: wax = 6 x 8 / 1.08 = 44.44 oz (1,260 g), oil = 44.44 x 0.08 = 3.56 oz (101 g)

Check: 7.41 + 0.59 = 8.00 oz per candle, and 44.44 + 3.56 = 48.00 oz for six. Pour them all the same day, cure them alike, and burn them side by side, 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 cm) apart as CandleScience says, with someone watching the whole time. Then go up or down within the winning series.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the same number means the same size in a different series.
• Using one wax's lab results for another wax.
• Forgetting to retest when the oil or dye changes. Lone Star says a heavier load can push you up a size, and CandleScience says fragrance and dye can change the burn.

Questions

Which wick series is best for soy wax?

I cannot give one answer without the wax. Lone Star builds its soy chart on ECO. CandleScience lists soy under CD, ECO and some LX waxes. Check your wax maker's sheet for the series and size it tested, then test it.

Are CD, ECO, HTP and LX wicks metal free?

CandleScience says its CD, ECO and LX wicks "do not contain zinc, lead, or any other metals," and adds that its pretabbed wicks have a metal tab at the base. Lone Star describes CD, ECO, HTP and LX as cotton builds and lists zinc-core wicks as a separate type. Ask your supplier to confirm in writing, and see our zinc-core wick guide for the US lead rule.

What about wooden wicks?

They are a different build. Lone Star describes two thin pieces of wood pressed together, for containers only, and tests them on their own chart. They are not one of these four.