What Type of Candle Burns the Longest?

A long, unhurried glow starts with the candle itself. Our beeswax tapers and pillars are hand-crafted in small batches, and each one is made for a slow, even burn that stays smokeless and dripless when it is cared for well.

How long a candle lasts comes down to three choices: its format, its size, and the way it is burned. This guide walks through each one using the sizes in our current beeswax collection, so you can match the candle to the evening you have in mind.

Choosing a long-burning candle

• Pick the format for the setting. Tapers fit a standard taper holder and bring height to a dining table, while pillars rest on a heat-resistant plate or holder and anchor a centerpiece.
• Size up for longer evenings. A taller or wider candle holds more wax, so it lasts longer than a smaller candle of the same format.
• Burn it with care. A trimmed wick and a spot away from drafts keep the flame steady and the burn even.

Tapers or pillars: which lasts longer?

A 3" pillar holds far more wax than a 7/8" taper of the same height, which makes the pillar the natural choice when one candle needs to carry a long evening, or several evenings in a row.

Tapers bring a slender flame and graceful height to a table setting. For a long dinner party, a 12" or 15" taper gives the flame more room to run, and for a centerpiece you plan to relight across the week, a 6" or 9" pillar is the steadier choice.

Reading burn guidance by size

Burn time changes with the size you choose and the way the candle is burned, so each candle below is listed by its dimensions. Within each format, the taller candle lasts longer.

• Beeswax taper candles, 7/8" in diameter, in 6", 9", 12" and 15" heights.
• Classic beeswax pillar candles, 3" in diameter, in 4", 6" and 9" heights.

Both are made for a slow, even burn that stays smokeless and dripless, which makes them easy to enjoy on a dining table or at a celebration.

How to make your candle last longer

A little care at each lighting keeps the flame calm and the wax burning evenly. These steps come from our candle care guide.

• Trim the wick to about 1/4" before each burn. A long wick burns through wax faster and can cause drips, even in a dripless candle.
• Keep the candle away from drafts, open windows and air vents, which make the flame flicker and the wax burn unevenly.
• On a pillar's first burn, let the surface melt all the way across before you put it out, so the candle burns down evenly.
• Seat tapers straight in their holders. Our beeswax tapers include a beeswax strip that holds them snugly in place.
• Put the flame out with a snuffer, then straighten the wick for the next lighting.

At Creative Candles, we have hand-crafted candles in small batches since 1961. Browse the full range of beeswax candles, or explore more than 40 colors in our color guide.