Cold throw and hot throw
Throw is how well a candle's scent fills a room. Here is what cold throw and hot throw mean, what affects them and how to get the most fragrance from a candle.
Two kinds of throw
Candle makers use the word throw for how well a candle fills a room with scent.
- Cold throw is the smell of the candle when it is not lit. It is what you notice when you lift the lid in a shop.
- Hot throw is the smell released while the candle burns and the melt pool is warm.
The two do not always match. Some candles smell strong in the jar but fade once lit, and some smell faint in the jar but bloom when burning. Hot throw is usually what people care about most.
What affects hot throw
Fragrance load
Fragrance load is the amount of fragrance oil in the wax, given as a percentage of the wax weight. Many container candles sit somewhere around 6 to 10 percent. More is not always better: every wax can only hold so much oil, and overloading can cause oily "sweating", a sooty flame or a wick that will not stay lit.
The melt pool
Scent escapes from the liquid wax. A wide, deep melt pool gives off more fragrance than a narrow hole around the wick. That is why the first burn and an even melt pool matter so much.
Wax type
Paraffin and coconut blends are known for strong throw. Soy releases fragrance more gently but steadily. Beeswax has its own honey smell that can compete with added scents. See wax types compared.
Curing time
Fresh candles often need time to cure, which lets the fragrance settle into the wax. A candle lit the day it was poured may throw less than the same candle a week or two later. See curing and fragrance load.
Room size and airflow
A small candle cannot scent a large open-plan space. Drafts from fans, air conditioning or open windows carry scent away quickly and also make the flame flicker and smoke.
Matching candle size to room
| Room | Suggested candle |
|---|---|
| Bathroom or small office | Small single-wick jar |
| Bedroom | Medium single-wick jar |
| Living room | Large single-wick or two-wick jar |
| Open-plan living and kitchen | Three-wick candle, or two candles in different spots |
How to boost scent safely
- Let the candle burn until the melt pool reaches the edge, usually 2 to 4 hours for a medium jar.
- Close nearby windows and switch off fans pointing toward the candle.
- Place the candle where people pass by, not hidden in a corner.
- Keep the lid on between burns so the top layer keeps its fragrance.
- Do not burn a candle for more than about 4 hours at a time.
Your nose gets used to a smell within minutes, a process called olfactory fatigue. If you stop noticing your candle, step outside the room and come back in. The scent is often still there.
When throw is weak
If a candle never smells strong, check the wick first: trim it and make sure the flame is healthy. Then check for tunneling, because a narrow melt pool releases very little scent. If the candle is old or was stored without a lid, the top layer may have lost some fragrance. Burning it to a full melt pool usually brings the scent back.
