Candle burn time calculator

How long a candle lasts, from its wax weight and the diameter of its container — with the consumption rate you can replace as soon as you have burnt one and measured it.

INPUTS
g
6.3 oz. The wax calculator gives you this figure.
mm
2.68 in
Wicks
1
g/hr
Estimated 6 g/hr for 64–76 mm (2.5–3 in). To measure your own: weigh the candle, burn it for four hours, weigh it again, divide the difference by four.
hours
Three to four hours is the usual advice — long enough for a full melt pool.
This is an estimate, not a claim you can print on a label. If you are stating a burn time commercially, measure it by burning your own candle to the end and timing it.
RESULTS
1 WICK
Estimated burn time
30 hours
30 h total
That is about
8 evenings of 4 h
Hours per ounce
4.7 h/oz
Burning at
6.0 g/hr

How this is worked out

Burn time is wax divided by the rate the flame consumes it. The rate is the hard part: it depends on the wick, the wax, the fragrance load, the dye and the diameter of the melt pool, which is why no chart can tell you exactly. What the diameter does give is a sensible starting estimate, so the calculator seeds a rate from your container size — around 4–10.5 g per hour per wick across the usual range — and then lets you replace it with a rate measured from your own test burn. Multiple wicks multiply the rate rather than the wax, so a three-wick candle of the same weight burns for roughly a third as long.

burn hours = wax weight ÷ (consumption per hour × wick count)
consumption = weight lost in a test burn ÷ hours burnt

Questions makers ask

How long does an 8 oz candle burn for?
An 8 oz jar holds roughly 180 g of wax — about 6.3 oz by weight. At the 6 g per hour a container of that diameter typically burns at, that is around 30 hours. Wicking changes it more than anything else: the same jar over-wicked might manage barely half of that.
How do I measure my own burn rate?
Weigh the finished candle, burn it for a full four-hour session, let it set, and weigh it again. Divide the weight lost by four and you have grams per hour for that exact combination of wax, wick, fragrance and vessel. Enter it in the calculator and the estimate becomes a measurement.
Why do published burn times vary so much?
Because burn rate is a property of the whole candle, not the wax. Across container sizes the working range is roughly 4–10.5 g per hour per wick, and within one size the wick alone can move it by half again. A brand quoting a long burn time is usually quoting a conservative wick.
Does fragrance oil change the burn time?
Yes, slightly, and in both directions. Fragrance is fuel, so a heavily scented candle can burn a little faster, but oil also thickens the melt pool and can slow the draw. The effect is small next to wick choice — do not try to correct for it, measure instead.
Can I put this number on my label?
Only if you have measured it. An estimate from a calculator is fine for planning and for pricing, but a burn time printed on a product is a claim a customer can test. Burn one of your own candles to the end, time it, and quote that — rounded down.

Read before your next batch

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