A 50 hour candle is a significant investment in home fragrance, and choosing the right one means understanding what actually determines burn time and what to look for in a candle that will genuinely deliver on its promise. Here is everything you need to know.
What is a 50 hour candle?
A 50 hour candle is one with a stated burn time of approximately 50 hours. This is typically achieved with a medium to large vessel, a correctly sized wick, and a wax that burns slowly and cleanly. Soy wax candles are particularly well suited to longer burn times because soy burns at a lower temperature than paraffin, consuming wax more slowly.
What size candle gives a 50 hour burn?
Burn time depends on the amount of wax in the candle and how efficiently it burns. As a rough guide:
- A candle with approximately 200 to 250g of soy wax will typically burn for 35 to 50 hours
- A candle with 300g or more of soy wax can achieve 50 to 80 hours
These figures assume the candle is burned correctly, with a trimmed wick and proper burn sessions. A candle burned carelessly will always fall short of its stated burn time.
How to get a full 50 hours from your candle
The stated burn time on a candle is achievable, but only if you burn it correctly. The key habits are:
- Trim the wick to 5mm before every burn. A long wick burns hotter and faster, consuming wax more quickly than necessary.
- Allow the melt pool to reach the edges on the first burn. This prevents tunnelling and ensures all the wax is available for subsequent burns.
- Burn for no more than 4 hours at a time. Extended burns cause the wick to mushroom and the vessel to overheat, both of which reduce efficiency.
- Keep the candle away from draughts. Air movement causes uneven burning and faster wax consumption.
- Stop burning when 1cm of wax remains. The last centimetre of wax is not efficiently burned and risks overheating the vessel.
Is a longer burn time always better value?
Not necessarily. A 50 hour candle that smells wonderful throughout its burn life is better value than a 60 hour candle with a weak or fading fragrance. Look for a candle that combines a long burn time with a strong, consistent scent throw. The two qualities together are what make a candle genuinely good value.
50 hour candles as gifts
A 50 hour candle makes a particularly generous gift. The longer burn time means the recipient enjoys the fragrance for weeks, and the larger vessel tends to look more impressive on a shelf or coffee table. For a birthday, housewarming, or Christmas gift, a 50 hour candle feels like a proper treat.
Browse our Scented Soy Candles for long-burning soy candles, or explore our Best Sellers for our most popular choices. All hand-poured in Carlisle, Cumbria.