Cored or Coreless Candle Wicks - What's the Difference?

What is the difference between a cored and coreless wick?

When reviewing the table, you may have noticed that some wicks are listed as “coreless” while others are “cored.”

A coreless wick is simply a candle wick that doesn’t have a rigid center core. Coreless candle wicks are not hollow tubes. Instead, coreless wicks are made entirely of fibers that stay rigid on their own. Coreless wicks usually have a flat structure. However, they often still have a round appearance due to the wax coating on the outside.

Cored wicks have an outer structure that is knitted or braided around a paper, cotton, or zinc center. Zinc is the most rigid type of core, followed by paper and cotton. No matter the center material, cored candle wicks tend to be more rigid than coreless wicks because of their construction.

How to Choose a Size of Wick

After deciding what kind of wick to use, you can begin testing different sizes of wicks. Our Wick Size Chart is a handy tool to use. This chart lists each type of wick with size recommendations based on the diameter of your container and the type of wax you’re using.

How to Test Candles

Perhaps the most important step in making candles is the testing phase. There are so many variables that can affect how a candle performs. Testing is the only way to know with confidence that you’ve chosen the best type and size of wick. Check out our Guide to Testing Candles for a detailed walkthrough of the testing process. Be sure to also download our Free Printable Candle Testing Sheet to keep track of your results!