Different Types of Handmade Candles

Candle Making Varieties

By
David Fisher
David Fisher

David Fisher is a highly regarded professional soaper with over 15 years of experience, sharing his knowledge of the craft, science, and chemistry of saponification. He currently owns Bath Rabbit Soap Company and is the author of "The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making."

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Updated on 01/16/20
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You probably know that a candle is a marvelous combination of wax and wick but past that there are many different varieties of candles. Even if you take scent and color out of the mix, there is still an amazing array of different shapes, sizes, methods and purposes for candles. Here are some examples of the major types of candles that most candle makers will encounter and/or make.

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    Votive Candles

    Votive candles
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    Votive candles are among the most used candles of any type. They're a hybrid between a pillar candle and a container candle in that before they're burned, they're free-standing, usually cylindrical candles but once they're lit, they generally melt completely enough to take the shape of the votive holder that they're placed in.

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    Container Candles

    Burning candle in glass jar, succulent and notebook on wooden background, close up
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    A container candle is just that - a candle that is poured/made in a container, but it is different from a votive (that is put into a container) in that the mold and the container are the same things. The candle is poured into the container.

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    Pillar Candles

    Pillar candle
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    Pillar candles are a type of molded candle. The wax is rigid enough to burn free-standing (on a heat-resistant plate or pan.) If it is wicked correctly, it should burn evenly and not drip very much wax onto the plate.

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    Dipped Candles

    Handmade candles hanged on wax rope after manufacturing
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    Dipped candles are basically just that - dipped - a piece of wick that has been primed (dipped) into the wax to get out the air bubbles and then dipped some more to build up more layers of wax.

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    Rolled Candles

    Rolled beeswax candle
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    Rolled candles are made with pliable (roll-able) sheets of wax with a wick at the center. The most common are made with sheets of beeswax 8" x 16". They are great, safe, easy candles to make.