What 55 Years of Real Testing at Rich Hill Candles Has Taught Us
For decades, the candle world has been flooded with one-size-fits-all burn tips — especially the famous (and famously wrong) rule:
“Burn your candle for 3 hours on the first burn.”
If you’ve ever tried this with different jars, different wick counts, or different wax blends, you already know the truth:
That rule doesn’t work for most candles.
It never has. And for multi-wick or tapered vessels? It’s not even close.
At Rich Hill Candles, we’ve poured and tested candles for over 55 years, across thousands of wick combos and vessel shapes. And here’s what every expert tester, maker, and chandler knows:
There is no universal burn time.
It depends on the candle itself — not a blanket rule.
Let’s break down the real science (and art) behind burn times, so you can enjoy a candle that burns beautifully all the way to the bottom.
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Why Blanket Burn-Time Advice Is Wrong
Most burn-time advice floating around online ignores what actually affects a candle’s melt pool and burn behavior.
The major variables are:
Jar diameter
Wick count
Wick type & size
Wax blend
Whether the jar tapers in as it burns down
The maker’s internal testing and wick strategy
The moment you change any one of these, the entire burn profile changes.
This is why two candles that look similar from two different brands can require completely different burn times.
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The First-Burn Myth: Why “3 Hours” Is Misleading
The idea that every candle must reach a full melt pool on the first burn has become one of the most persistent misconceptions in the industry.
Here’s the truth, from real-world testing:
A candle does not have to reach the edge on the first burn.
It can absolutely correct itself on later burns.
In fact, with the right wick system, many candles are designed to correct over the next burn session or two.
The insistence on a perfect first burn is old advice based on outdated formulas — not the candles people are actually burning today.
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What Burn Time Actually Depends On
1. Jar Diameter
This is the biggest variable.
Small jars (2–2.5") often only need 1–2 hours.
Medium jars (3–3.5") may need 2–3 hours.
Large bowls or wide jars may need longer — but only if they’re wicked for long melts.
2. Wick Count (the most misunderstood factor)
A multi-wick candle is not automatically a “longer burn” candle.
The time needed varies wildly depending on:
The wax used
The wick size
How the maker chose to balance the melt
This is where Rich Hill’s philosophy is different.
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How Rich Hill Sets Burn Times (What Makes Us Different)
After 55 years, we’ve learned that burn-time guidance must be based on what the average candle user can realistically do.
Most people simply cannot burn a candle for:
4 hours, 6 hours, or 8 hours straight
So at Rich Hill:
We design our candles to burn properly during normal, everyday burn sessions.
That means:
We may add an extra wick
Or increase the wick size
Or adjust the wicking strategy
…so that the candle burns evenly without requiring long marathon burns.
Example: A Rich Hill 5-Wick Candle
Many brands require 6–8 hours for a 5-wick vessel.
But because we wick for real-world use, our 5-wick candle typically requires 4–5 hours to burn properly.
Another brand with the exact same jar may need:
Less time, or
Much more time
…depending on their wick choices.
There is no such thing as a universal time for a multi-wick candle.
Only real testing determines it.
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Why Our Approach Prevents Tunneling, Wasting Wax & Customer Problems
Some brands wick their candles for:
Maximum theoretical burn time
The longest possible total hour count
Or “lab-perfect” melting
This sounds good — until you realize customers don’t burn candles like a lab.
They burn them:
In the evening after work
On weekends
For 1–3 hours at a time
Not for marathon sessions
When a candle is wicked for max hour count, but burned in short sessions, it tunnels.
The wick drowns.
The jar rims build up.
The candle fails prematurely.
At Rich Hill, we wick for real life.
We avoid wick combinations that require unrealistic burn sessions.
That means more satisfied customers, fewer issues, and candles that burn clean to the bottom.
That’s how a small Canadian business survives 55 years — you make candles that actually work for the people burning them.
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So How Long Should You Burn a Candle?
Here’s the real answer, from a company that has tested every scenario for over half a century:
It depends on the candle — not a rule.
The correct burn time is determined by:
The maker
The wick system
The vessel
The wax chemistry
The diameter
And the intended real-world usage
The best thing a customer can do:
Follow the burn-time instructions from the manufacturer — not generic advice.
Good brands test.
Great brands test for real households.
And the best brands (we’ll say it!) test for 55 years straight.
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Why You Can Trust Rich Hill Candles
We aren’t here to follow industry myths.
We’re here to correct them.
For 55 years, we’ve poured candles designed to burn:
Beautifully
Safely
Consistently
And realistically
And that’s why customers come back year after year — and generation after generation.
If you want candles tested for real homes, real schedules, and real burn habits,
Rich Hill Candles has been doing this longer than most brands have existed.
