The best candles have a long burn time, strong scent throw, and a lasting fragrance. And, come on, they also have to be affordable so you actually want to burn them. So which candles are actually a good value? We did all work to find out for you.
For starters, you want to know when the best candle sales are happening. For that, look to the biggies like Bath & Body Works Candle Day (happens the first weekend in December every year), Yankee Candle's Semi-Annual Sale (predicted for Dec. 26, 2023), and the best places to find candle deals year-round.
To find out if your favorite candle is a good deal, you could do a basic calculation of price per ounce. But since candles all burn differently depending on the materials and type of wax, we wanted to take it a step further.
Instead of calculating price per ounce, we calculated price per hour of actual burn time. A big ol' candle doesn't do much good if it only burns for a few hours. So we had a KCL team member test these candles out firsthand to see how long each of them last once lit.
Below you'll see which candles burn for the longest compared to the amount spent, so, as always, you can make the smart decision and get the best return on your purchase.
For smart shopping tips, text HACKS to 57299 and we'll keep you in the loop on our favorite money-saving deals.
We calculated the price-per-hour burn time of five popular candle brands.
For comparison's sake, we tested five 3-wick candles from Aldi, Walmart, Target, Yankee, and Bath and Body Works. Our tester tried to stick to similar sizes and burned them for four hours at a time, at the same time. The wicks were trimmed between each burn and all of them had about a half-inch of wax left when we calculated the burn time.
The clear winner price-wise was Aldi, with Walmart a close second. But, don't go swearing off your Yankees or B&BW 3-wicks just yet. You gotta take a look at our price-per-hour breakdowns on sale prices. While $0.09 is the best price, we still think scoring any of your personal favs from the more expensive brands for under or around $0.35 per burn hour is still a good deal. And this is doable with the candle deals we find year round.
Here's the breakdown of all five candles we tried and what your sales price goal should be to get the best candle burn time value.
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Aldi candles are the most affordable at just $0.09 per hour of burn time.
Let's preface this by saying that Aldi came out on top if you look at price alone. The scents are limited and aren't all that exciting. That being said, we still love 'em. If you need a budget candle with an insanely long burn time of 49 hours, Aldi is your best bet. A price tag of $4.49 for 49 hours works out to just $0.09 per hour.
Size: 14 oz
Full Price: $4.49
Burn Time: 49 hours
$0.09 per hour
Our candle tester did mention that Aldi had one of the milder scents and towards the end, the wax turned black. But overall, this candle is a huge value when comparing burn time to money spent.
RELATED: Where to Find Cheap Candles: Tips and Deals to Save Year-Round
Walmart's Mainstays candles burn the longest for just $0.12 per hour.
Is there a list of "best value" products that Walmart isn't on? Their 14-ounce Mainstays candle has a 51 hour burn time — the longest out of our group. And at just $5.97, this works out to $0.12 per hour. The scents weren't as strong as some of the others on our list, but it burned cleanly and is a great price-per-hour.
Size: 14 oz
Full Price: $5.97
Burn Time: 51 hours
$0.12 per hour
The Threshold candles at Target are tiny but mighty at $0.37 per hour (or $0.26 on sale!).
At just 12 ounces, it is the smallest on our list, but burned for 38 hours (the same duration as an 18-ounce Yankee). It'll cost you $14 and works out to $0.37 per hour of burn time.
Threshold Cost-Per-Hour at Full Price
Size: 12 oz
Full Price: $14
Burn Time: 38 hours
$0.37 per hour
Threshold Cost-Per-Hour at Sale Price
Target recently had a one-day only, in-app Circle coupon for 30% off all candles, dropping the price of the 12-ounce to just $9.80. Considering the 38 hour burn time, that's just $0.25 per hour. That should be your goal price when you're looking at Threshold candles at Target
Size: 12 oz
Sale Price: $9.80
Burn Time: 38 hours
$0.25 per hour
An 18-ounce Yankee candle burns for 38 hours at $0.70 per hour (or $0.35 on sale).
We tested one of the 18-ounce, 3-wick candles from Yankee. At the full price of $26.50 and a burn time of 38 hours, it works out to $0.70 per hour to burn. But we know we should never pay full price for a Yankee.
Yankee Cost-Per-Hour at Full Price
Size: 18 oz
Full Price: $26.50
Burn Time: 38 hours
$0.70 per hour
Yankee Cost-Per-Hour at Sale Price
Your best bet is to snag one of these 18-ounce candles during one of Yankee's big sales. Right now, Yankee has buy two, get two free — working out to $13.25 per candle or $0.35 per hour. The $13.25 price should be your goal whenever you want to stock up on Yankee candles.
If you can manage to score these 3-wicks for $10, even better. You're getting an hour of burn time for just $0.26.
Size: 18 oz
Sale Price: $10.00 - $13.25
Burn Time: 38 hours
$0.26 - $0.35 per hour
Bath & Body Works 3-wicks cost $0.83 per hour to burn (or $0.33 when they're on major sale).
The fan favorite also works out to be the most expensive. As with Yankee candles, we know to never buy these babies full price. They run way too many sales every month to ever pay the $24.95 price. If you were desperate and paid full price (hey, we've all been there), you'd spend $0.83 per hour to burn one of these.
Our candle tester noted that this candle had the strongest scent, but also burned the dirtiest out of the five.
B&BW Cost-Per-Hour at Full Price
Size: 14.5 oz
Full Price: $24.95
Burn Time: 30 hours
$0.83 per hour
B&BW Cost-Per-Hour at Sale Price
The absolute best price you'll get on these candles is $9.95 during their Candle Day event, working out to $0.33 per hour (which is why we absolutely love this sale). But since we only see that price once per year, let's also look at a more common sale price.
They often offer $12.95, but you'll do even better if you score during a buy one, get one sale. At $24.95, you'd get two candles at $12.48 and with a 30 hour burn time, that's $0.42 per hour. This should be your goal price every time you stock up. Yes, they're still the most expensive candle on our list, but you'll save between $0.41 - $0.50 per hour shopping the sales.
Size: 14.5 oz
Sale Price: $9.95 - $12.48
Burn Time: 30 hours
$0.33 - $0.42 per hour
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