There are several ways to calculate or measure a candle’s burn time and lots of advice online about how to come up with an accurate number. Many people suggest a complicated technique that involves weighing a candle before and after a burn session and then doing some math to determine what the expected burn time will be, but at Honey Candles we’re a bit old school (and no one wants to do that math).
Our advertised burn-times all come from a “light it and leave it” scenario which means we light the candle in a location where it can safely burn uninterrupted, set a timer, and let it burn until it naturally extinguishes. We feel that this gives our customers a realistic number that is essentially the worst-case scenario.
There are a variety of factors that can increase the burn time of a candle including regular wick trimming, extinguishing and letting it cool each time the melt pool reaches the edge rather than burning for longer sessions, and even “feeding” leftover wax from another candle into the wax pool as it burns.
Burn time can certainly be affected by the wax, and the wick selection, but it is also substantially impacted by the location, technique, session length and a lot of interpretation. We’ve seen similar products to ours from other companies advertised with burn times that are double or even triple what we claim. We have tested these claims side by side and found that the wax consumption under similar conditions is very similar.
Ultimately, burning candles should be about the experience and the joy they bring to your home. While a burn-time on the label can be a nice indicator of what to expect, the reality is that if you’re hung up on getting the stopwatch out each time you light your candle to check if the burn time matches the label, you’re probably not enjoying the experience as much as you could be. For tips on getting the most out of your candle burning experience visit our Learn pages for articles like General Candle Care and Choosing a Candle.
