Your Guide to Beeswax Candle Styles
Candles come in many shapes and sizes. Votives, floating candles, tapers, and more... if you've ever felt confused by all the different candle names, styles, and burn times, read on!
Pillar candles
Pillar candles look like, well, pillars. They can be short or tall, wide or narrow, large or small. They are self-standing cylinders with straight sides and typically offer a great bang for your buck in terms of burn time. They can be extremely simple or be decorated with various designs on the surface. Burn time varies wildly as pillars can be any size.
Votive candles
Votive candles tend to have dimensions in the 1-2 inches wide and 2-3 inches tall range. They can stand on their own, but they can also be burned in votive cups. or holders. They can be simple or patterned and they are a great size for arranging as part of your table centerpiece or decor. Burn times vary with size, but are often in the 4-8 hour range.
Tea light candles
Tea light candles are quite small: usually about 1.5 inches wide and 0.75 inches tall. They are typically burned in a plastic or metal cup and burn for about 4 hours each. Tea light-specific candle holders are common as tea lights are a fairly standard size.
Taper candles
Taper candles are tall and thin and require a taper holder to remain upright. Tapers are classic and beautiful, but historically they were also very utilitarian. Their narrow diameter means they can be burned for very short periods of time without decreasing the longevity of the candle (unlike a standard pillar, which must be burned for hours at a time). Before electric lighting, they'd be carried from room to room and used as task lighting. Now, they are more likely to grace your table as a decorative element at dinner. The taller the taper, the longer the burn time, up to about 12 hours.
Container candles
Container candles are exactly what they sound like: the wax is poured into a container which holds it while it cools and then becomes part of the finished candle. Glass jars, pottery pieces, concrete pots, tea cups, even shells or hollowed out gourds can be used as containers for candles.
Specialty candles
With the wonderful versatility of silicone candle mold-making techniques, you can find a candle mold in any shape you can dream up. Our specialty candle collection features trees, flowers, mushrooms, acorns, and other nature-inspired shapes, animals of all kinds, cones, balls, eggs, figures and bodies, food items, and much more.
Chime candles
Chime candles look like beefier birthday candles, and they are perfect for spinning those beautiful wooden or metal chimes or spinners we all love at the holidays. You'll get a couple hours of burn time from these.
Floating candles
Floating candles are a beautiful way to decorate: they can be floated in a vessel of water and move gently with the water as they burn. They can be any shape (we love our flowers and stars!) and we carefully seal the bottom of each candle so the wick doesn't absorb water. Floating candles have to be wide and short to float effectively and usually burn for just a couple of hours.
Birthday candles
Birthday candles need no explanation: stick them in your cake, light them up, and let the party begin. Everybody loves birthday candles! We make both straight and number style birthday candles, perfect for any celebration.
Emergency candles
When the power goes out, you need a light source. Candles don't need batteries or fuel and they never expire on your shelf. A good emergency candle stands on its own and has a long, efficient burn. They aren't fancy, but they get the job done and you'll be so glad you stocked up when the next storm hits. Our bestselling Prepper Pillars (pictured) can burn for up to 48 hours in a draft-free location!