{"id":377367,"date":"2026-05-15T15:55:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T13:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youwish.nl\/uncategorized\/heres-how-to-perform-a-safe-candle-burn-test-and-avoid-dangerous-misses\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T10:16:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T08:16:55","slug":"heres-how-to-perform-a-safe-candle-burn-test-and-avoid-dangerous-misses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youwish.nl\/en\/uncategorized\/heres-how-to-perform-a-safe-candle-burn-test-and-avoid-dangerous-misses\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s how to perform a safe candle burn test and avoid dangerous misses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You just poured the perfect candle. The scent is divine, the glass looks sleek and the wax has dried nice and smooth. But before you light, sell or gift this creation, you need to know one crucial thing: Is it safe? A candle is essentially an open fire in the living room. Without proper testing, that cozy little flame quickly turns into a dangerous situation, such as bursting glass or a stinging flame. Performing a proper fire test is not only wise, it is actually a requirement for anyone marketing candles. In this article, you’ll learn exactly how to test, what rules to follow and how to interpret the results. <\/p>\n\n

Why testing is not optional<\/h2>\n\n

As a maker, you are responsible for the safety of your product. Whether you are a hobbyist making for friends or a small business owner; the rules apply to anyone who puts a product on the market. Candles must comply with the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), which simply means that you must be able to demonstrate that your candle is safe under normal use. In addition, testing is the only way to know if your wick-wax-scent combination works. A candle wick<\/a> that burns perfectly in pure wax can completely drown as soon as you add fragrance oil. <\/p>\n\n

Key safety standards<\/h2>\n\n

In Europe, specific EN standards have been established for candles. You may not need to set up a professional laboratory as a small maker, but you need to know these guidelines. NBN EN 15493 specifies requirements for fire safety. These include stability, where the candle must not fall over on a 10-degree incline, and the risk of secondary ignition. NBN EN 15494 deals with labeling and specifies which safety pictograms and warnings are mandatory on your label. <\/p>\n\n

There are also chemical restrictions. For example, the lead content in the wick cannot exceed 100 ppm, and substances such as toluene and benzene are strictly limited. Fortunately, most raw materials have already been produced at specialized suppliers to meet these basic requirements. Your job is mainly to test how they react together in your specific recipe. <\/p>\n\n

Step-by-step: conducting your own fire test<\/h2>\n\n

A fire test is more than lighting the candle and seeing if it does. You are simulating consumer behavior, but in a controlled manner. Be sure to keep a logbook in which you take notes for each round of testing. Start with a fully cured candle. For soy wax, this often means waiting at least one to two weeks. If you test too early, you will get unreliable results. Always cut the wick to about five millimeters before you start, exactly as you expect the end user to do. <\/p>\n