Being in the candle industry since 1997, I like to browse the internet for questions or ideas that people have related to candles. One issue that comes up repeatedly is whether storing candles in the freezer before lighting them will cause them to burn more slowly. Why is a slower burning candle important? The idea is to make it last longer to save money on the purchase of candles. We decided to put together our own experiment and see if frozen candles really do make them burn longer.

Thought behind freezing a candle

Before we get into how we did our experiment, maybe I should go over the basic thought process of why freezing a candle might cause it to burn more slowly. Candle wax is the fuel for the candle flame. The fuel must be in liquid form for the flame to use it. If the wax is frozen, it will go from solid to liquid more slowly, so it will not burn as quickly as wax at room temperature. So freezing the candle should be a good idea, right?

Experiment Setup

We set up the experiment using a few different types of candles. We used 2 sizes of pillar candles, one was 2″x3″ and the other was 4″x6″. We also use votive candles and taper candles. One candle of each size and style was placed in the freezer and a candle of the same size and style was left at room temperature. We drilled a small hole in the side of the frozen cone so that we could measure the core temperature throughout the test. Both candles were weighed and each weighed 68.6 grams. We also had 2 “instant read” digital thermometers and a stopwatch on hand.

Before I go any further, I need to preface the next part of the experiment with a little explanation. I mentioned at the beginning of the article that I have been working with candles since 1997. My job is actually at a candle factory that makes candles. Many times when a pillar candle wouldn’t unmold, we would put it in a freezer, which helped. However, there was also potential for a negative outcome. So, before doing the test, I already knew what the result would be for the pillar and the candle in the freezer.

Well, back to the experiment. Based on my knowledge of how the pillar and votive would react to being in the freezer, I planned to check the candles every 15 minutes.

The experiment

At the first 15 minute mark I went to check a candle in the freezer. What I found was not a surprise. Both the 2″x3″ and the 4″x6″ pillars were broken, or better said, smashed. I tightened the 2″x3″ and it fell apart completely. If any of these pillar candles had been lit, the liquid wax would have drained through the cracks and all over the place. In reality, this would have made them burn much faster than those at room temperature.

The taper candles did not break and ended up being left in the freezer overnight. The next day we took out and hit the freezer and noticed that it hadn’t broken. This gave us the opportunity to do the burn time test. Before lighting the taper candles, we take a quick reading of their core temperatures. The one in the freezer was at 33 degrees Fahrenheit, the other at room temperature which was 69 degrees Fahrenheit. We read each taper candle and leave them burning for 1 hour.

After 1 hour we came back to check the sails and take a reading. Initial observations were that the flames of each candle were the same height and the amount that each candle had consumed seemed uniform. We took another core temperature reading and noted that the freeze candle had reached 65 degrees. The candle at room temperature was still 69 degrees. We also take a temperature reading of the liquid wax under the flame. Both candles had a liquid wax temperature of 162 degrees. We leave the candles burning for another hour.

After the 2nd hour we repeat the measurements taken after the first hour. Once again, the flames of both candles looked identical in height and each candle had burned out equally. The core temperature of the frozen candle was now 69 degrees, which matched the candle at room temperature. The liquid wax under the candle flame on both candles was still at 162 degrees. Since both candles had a reading of 69 degrees at their core, there was no further benefit to continuing the burn test. Both candles would burn at the same rate from this point on. We extinguished the flames, let the liquid wax harden, and reweighed both candles. Each of the candles weighed 26.2 grams.

The conclusion

Putting the pillar and votive candle in the freezer didn’t make them burn longer, in fact it had the opposite effect, damaging them so they couldn’t be used. The taper candle from freezing showed no signs of burning longer than the room temperature candle, either visually or by weight. Why didn’t freezing the cone work? I’m glad you asked.

The heat at the base of a candle flame is about 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and about 2,000 degrees at the top. When you light a candle, the wax around the wick is instantly affected by that high heat. The 40 degree gap between a room temperature candle and a frozen candle is almost instantly erased when presented to the 1000 degree candle flame. The heat from the flame affects the closest wax creating the liquid fuel you need in both candles. Meanwhile, the rest of the frozen candle warms to room temperature slowly until the flame needs it.

In short, freezing a candle does nothing to increase burn time, could actually damage your candles, and takes up valuable space in your freezer needed for important items like ice cream.