Wicks and Wick Sizing
Best Candle Wick Tabs
The cheapest part in candle making, and the only one with three separate dimensions that all have to be right.
We have not burned these candles and we do not claim to have. Here is what we did instead. Links to Amazon earn us a commission at no extra cost to you — disclosure.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Honbay Metal Wick Sustainer Tabs, 20 mm, 250 PackTop pickThe only listing in this category that publishes all three numbers that matter: 20 mm diameter, 7 mm neck height and a 3 mm hole. Two hundred and fifty tabs, and nothing else to say about it, which is the point. | The most completely specified tab here | |
| 2 |  EricX Light Metal Wick Sustainer Tabs, 20 mm, 200 PackPublishes the 20 mm diameter and the 3 mm hole, skips the neck height. From a brand whose wicks are already on this site, which is worth something when you are matching a tab to a wick you already own. | A named brand at the standard jar size | |
| 3 |  VViViD Metal Wick Sustainer Tabs, 20 mm, 260 PackA 20 mm tab with a 4 mm hole, which is a full millimeter wider than anything else here. That is the tab to buy if you cut your own wick from a spool of square braid. | The widest published hole, for thick and square braid wick | |
| 4 |  BEADNOVA Wick Sustainer Tabs, 12.5 mm, 100 PackA 12.5 mm tab with a 2.9 mm hole, named as suitable for tealights, in high-grade iron with a storage tub. The small-vessel tab that the rest of this category ignores. | Tealights and votives, where a 20 mm tab does not fit | |
| 5 |  Kare & Kind Metal Wick Tabs, 14 mm, 400 PackFour hundred tabs at 14 mm with a published 3.5 mm hole, described as suiting medium wick sizes. The highest count here by a distance, in a retail box, and the listing says outright that wicks are not included. | Bulk quantity at a middle diameter | |
| 6 |  Jess Mae Metal Wick Sustainers, 20 mm, 100 PackThe only listing here that names wick families by series: cotton, ECO, CD, LX, HTP and zinc core. It is also the only one that publishes no hole size, which is the single number that decides whether a wick series fits. | Naming the wick series it is meant to pair with |
A wick tab is the small metal disc at the bottom of a wick. It holds the wick upright while you pour, keeps it centered while the wax sets, and stops the flame reaching the base of the container at the end of the burn. It costs about two cents.
You only need to buy tabs separately for one reason: you bought wick on a spool. This site recommends exactly that on best wicks for beeswax candles, where a 528-foot spool of unprimed square braid is the cheapest wick in the catalog by a wide margin and its own listing says plainly that it ships with no tabs. This page is the other half of that purchase.
How we judged these
Three dimensions decide whether a tab works, and the listings treat all three as optional.
- Hole diameter. The wick has to pass through it. This is the number that decides compatibility and the number most often missing.
- Tab diameter. Sets which vessel the tab suits: 12.5 mm for a tealight cup, 20 mm for a jar. A 20 mm tab in a 1.5-inch tealight leaves almost no wax between metal and wall.
- Neck height. The raised collar that grips the wick, and the reason a burn stops short of the base. One listing in six publishes it.
- Count, and whether the price per tab makes sense at that count.
- Whether the listing names its metal at all. One does.
| Tabs | Diameter | Neck height | Hole | Count | Metal named |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honbay, 250 | 20 mm | 7 mm | 3 mm | 250 | No |
| EricX Light, 200 | 20 mm | Not published | 3 mm | 200 | No |
| VViViD, 260 | 20 mm | Not published | 4 mm | 260 | No |
| BEADNOVA, 100 | 12.5 mm | Not published | 2.9 mm | 100 | Yes, iron |
| Kare & Kind, 400 | 14 mm | Not published | 3.5 mm | 400 | No |
| Jess Mae, 100 | 20 mm | 6 mm, as read | Not published | 100 | No |
One listing out of six publishes all three dimensions. The one that names six wick series by name - cotton, ECO, CD, LX, HTP and zinc core - is the one that does not publish a hole size, which is the only thing that would let you check the claim.
Top pick · The most completely specified tab here
Honbay Metal Wick Sustainer Tabs, 20 mm, 250 Pack
Honbay
The only listing in this category that publishes all three numbers that matter: 20 mm diameter, 7 mm neck height and a 3 mm hole. Two hundred and fifty tabs, and nothing else to say about it, which is the point.
#ad · how this is funded · price as of October 17, 2026
Published specifications
- Diameter
- 20 mmSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Neck height
- 7 mmSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Hole
- 3 mmSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Material
- Metal, grade not statedSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Count
- 250 tabsSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Wicks included
- Not published on the listing
What that means
Neck height is the specification nobody else publishes and it decides how much wax is left in the jar when the flame reaches the tab. Seven millimeters is the common commercial height.
A 3 mm hole takes flat braid and cored cotton wicks up to about a CD 14 or an ECO 14. Square braid above a number 4 will not thread it.
Twenty millimeters is the jar-candle size. It is too wide for a 1.5-inch tealight cup, where a 12.5 mm tab is the right part.
Good
- Publishes diameter, height and hole together
- Standard 20 mm jar size at a bulk count
- No marketing copy to see past
Less good
- Does not state the metal or any coating
- No wicks included
- Hole is too small for heavy square braid
Skip this one if
You are making tealights. A 20 mm tab does not fit a 1.5-inch cup with room for wax around it.
Pick 2 · A named brand at the standard jar size
EricX Light Metal Wick Sustainer Tabs, 20 mm, 200 Pack
EricX Light
Publishes the 20 mm diameter and the 3 mm hole, skips the neck height. From a brand whose wicks are already on this site, which is worth something when you are matching a tab to a wick you already own.
#ad · how this is funded · price as of October 17, 2026
Published specifications
- Diameter
- 20 mmSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Hole
- 3 mmSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Material
- Metal, grade not statedSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Count
- 200 tabsSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Stated use
- Works with wick stickers and loose wickSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Neck height
- Not published on the listing
What that means
Same hole as the Honbay, same jar-candle diameter, one fewer published number. If the two are close on price, take the one that publishes the height.
EricX also sells the pre-waxed cotton wick this site features, so a spool-and-tab purchase from one brand at least gives you a consistent pairing to test.
The listing describes crimping with pliers, which is the part beginners underestimate: a loose crimp lets the wick pull out of the tab mid-burn.
Good
- Published hole size and diameter
- Brand that also supplies matching wick
- Two hundred tabs is enough for a season
Less good
- No published neck height
- No metal grade or coating stated
- No wicks or pliers included
Skip this one if
You want the most documented option. The Honbay listing publishes a height and this one does not.
Pick 3 · The widest published hole, for thick and square braid wick
VViViD Metal Wick Sustainer Tabs, 20 mm, 260 Pack
VViViD
A 20 mm tab with a 4 mm hole, which is a full millimeter wider than anything else here. That is the tab to buy if you cut your own wick from a spool of square braid.
#ad · how this is funded · price as of October 17, 2026
Published specifications
- Diameter
- 20 mm, listed as 2 cm and 0.8 inchSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Hole
- 4 mmSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Count
- 260 tabsSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Material
- Metal, grade not statedSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Stated method
- Thread, crimp with needle-nose pliers, then tape to the jar baseSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Neck height
- Not published on the listing
What that means
Four millimeters is the specification that earns this tab its place. Heavy square braid and some wooden wick bases will not pass a 3 mm hole, and a tab you cannot thread is a tab you cannot use.
A wider hole is a looser grip on a thin wick, so pair this with heavy braid rather than a fine cored cotton.
The listing spends four of its five bullets on gift ideas and one on a wax-melting bag that has nothing to do with the tabs. The specification is buried in the first line.
Good
- Widest published hole in this set at 4 mm
- Highest count here at 260
- States the crimp-and-tape method plainly
Less good
- No published neck height
- A 4 mm hole grips fine wick poorly
- Listing copy is mostly gift marketing
Skip this one if
Your wick is pre-tabbed already. This is a part for people cutting wick from a spool, and nobody else needs it.
Pick 4 · Tealights and votives, where a 20 mm tab does not fit
BEADNOVA Wick Sustainer Tabs, 12.5 mm, 100 Pack
BEADNOVA
A 12.5 mm tab with a 2.9 mm hole, named as suitable for tealights, in high-grade iron with a storage tub. The small-vessel tab that the rest of this category ignores.
#ad · how this is funded · price as of October 17, 2026
Published specifications
- Diameter
- 12.5 mm, listed as approximately 1/2 inchSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Hole
- 2.9 mmSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Material
- Stated as high grade ironSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Count
- 100 tabsSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Stated fit
- Tealights and most candle jarsSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Included
- Plastic storage containerSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
What that means
Twelve and a half millimeters is the tealight tab. In a 1.5-inch cup a 20 mm tab leaves almost no wax between the metal and the wall, which is exactly where you do not want the flame.
This is the only listing here that names its metal. Iron will rust if a tab sits in water, so keep the tub closed and dry.
A 2.9 mm hole is the narrowest in this set, which suits the thin cotton used in tealights and rules out heavy braid.
Good
- The right diameter for tealights and votives
- Names its material, unlike every other listing here
- Comes in a storage container
Less good
- Lowest count here at 100
- Narrowest hole, so no heavy braid
- Iron rusts if stored damp
Skip this one if
You only pour jar candles. A 12.5 mm tab in a 3-inch jar gives the wick a smaller base than it wants and can let it lean.
Pick 5 · Bulk quantity at a middle diameter
Kare & Kind Metal Wick Tabs, 14 mm, 400 Pack
Kare & Kind
Four hundred tabs at 14 mm with a published 3.5 mm hole, described as suiting medium wick sizes. The highest count here by a distance, in a retail box, and the listing says outright that wicks are not included.
#ad · how this is funded · price as of October 17, 2026
Published specifications
- Diameter
- 14 mmSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Hole
- 3.5 mm, listed as 0.14 inchSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Count
- 400 tabsSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Material
- Metal, grade not statedSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Wicks included
- Stated: candle wicks are not includedSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Neck height
- Not published on the listing
What that means
Fourteen millimeters sits between the tealight tab and the jar tab. It works in both and is ideal in neither, which is a reasonable trade at this count.
A 3.5 mm hole is the widest here after the VViViD, and the listing is the only one to describe what that means in wick terms rather than claiming to fit everything.
Stating plainly that wicks are not included sounds trivial. Three listings in this category imply otherwise.
Good
- Four hundred tabs, the highest count on this page
- Publishes the hole size and what it suits
- Says clearly that no wick is included
Less good
- Middle diameter is a compromise in both vessel sizes
- No published neck height or metal grade
- Retail packaging you are paying for
Skip this one if
You are buying your first bag of tabs. Four hundred tabs at a diameter that suits nothing perfectly is a lot of commitment to a compromise.
Pick 6 · Naming the wick series it is meant to pair with
Jess Mae Metal Wick Sustainers, 20 mm, 100 Pack
Jess Mae
The only listing here that names wick families by series: cotton, ECO, CD, LX, HTP and zinc core. It is also the only one that publishes no hole size, which is the single number that decides whether a wick series fits.
#ad · how this is funded · price as of October 17, 2026
Published specifications
- Dimensions
- Stated as approximately 20 mm by 6 mmSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Stated compatibility
- Cotton, ECO, CD, LX, HTP, zinc core and specialty wicksSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Count
- 100 tabsSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Stated uses
- Container candles, pillars, votives and custom assembliesSource: Amazon Creators API item data, read 2026-09-27
- Hole
- Not published on the listing
- Material
- Metal, grade not stated
What that means
Naming six wick series is genuinely useful and completely unverifiable without a hole measurement. An ECO 14 and a zinc core 60 are different thicknesses; a tab cannot suit both unless the hole is stated.
The 20 mm by 6 mm figure is ambiguous as published. Read as diameter and neck height it matches the commercial standard, which is the reading we have used in the table, but the listing itself says long by wide.
The bullets lean on the brand being run by real candle makers. That is positioning, not data.
Good
- Names the wick series it is intended for
- Standard 20 mm jar diameter
- States pillar and votive use as well as containers
Less good
- No published hole size, which undercuts the compatibility claim
- Dimension wording is ambiguous as written
- Lowest count at the highest price per tab in this set
Skip this one if
You need to know a specific wick will thread. Buy the Honbay or the VViViD, where the hole is a published number.
Which diameter for which vessel
Tab diameter is not a preference. It follows the container.
| Vessel | Tab diameter | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tealight cup, 1.5 in | 12.5 mm | A 20 mm tab leaves under 5 mm of wax to the wall on each side |
| Votive or small tin, 2 in | 12.5 to 14 mm | Either works; the smaller tab centers more easily in a narrow base |
| Jar, 2.5 to 3.5 in | 20 mm | The commercial standard, and wide enough that the wick cannot lean |
| Pillar mold | 20 mm | Tab sits at the base and holds the wick against the pull of the mold |
Matching the hole to the wick
Here is the honest limit of this page. Published hole sizes run 2.9 mm to 4 mm, and almost no wick listing publishes a braid thickness to check them against. Our own wick entries publish a series and a size - ECO 14, CD 12, square braid number 4 - and not a diameter in millimeters.
- A 3 mm hole takes the flat braid and cored cotton wick that most container candles use. It is the safe default and the most common size on the shelf.
- A 4 mm hole is what to buy if you are threading heavy square braid, thicker unprimed cotton, or anything you cut yourself from a spool. A tab you cannot thread is scrap.
- A 2.9 mm hole is a tealight hole. It suits the thin wick a 1.5-inch cup takes and it will not accept heavy braid.
- Wider is not safer. A fine wick in a 4 mm hole sits loose, and a loose wick pulls out of the crimp while you are pouring.
If you do not know which series you are working with, how to choose a wick size starts from the container diameter, and the wick size chart collects every published manufacturer range in one table.
How a tab is actually fitted
Every listing here describes the same four steps, which is a good sign that the method is not in dispute.
- Cut the wick a little longer than the finished height, so there is something to hold on to.
- Thread it through the hole from the top, leaving a short tail underneath.
- Crimp the neck onto the wick with needle-nose pliers. This is the step people under-do: a loose crimp lets the wick lift out of the tab while the wax is still liquid.
- Trim the tail flush so the tab sits flat, then fix the tab to the base with a wick sticker or a drop of melted wax.
A tab holds the wick at the bottom and does nothing at all about the top. That is a separate part, and best wick centering tools covers the holders and stickers that keep the wick upright and in the middle while the wax sets.
Does a tab make a candle safer
A tab is the part that ends the burn. When the wax is gone the flame reaches the metal and the neck height decides how much wax is left underneath, which is also how much glass never gets the full heat of the flame. That is a genuine function and it is worth buying a tab with a published neck height for.
It is not a substitute for testing. A tab cannot fix a wick that is too large, and an oversized wick in a container is the failure mode that matters: wick too big or too small sets out the symptoms, and wick burn testing is the protocol to follow before you give a candle to anyone.
The honest verdict
Buy the Honbay 250-pack. It is the only listing in the category that publishes diameter, neck height and hole size, and on a part this cheap the published specification is the entire difference between the options. Add the BEADNOVA 12.5 mm pack if you make tealights, and the VViViD if you are cutting heavy square braid from a spool. Skip anything that claims to fit every wick series without printing a hole size.
How these picks were made. Published specifications compiled from the sources listed below, the arithmetic shown on the page, and live Amazon prices. No product here has been burned by us. Read the method.
Common questions
Do I need wick tabs if I buy pre-tabbed wicks?
No. Pre-tabbed wicks arrive with the tab crimped on, which is what most people should buy. Tabs are for spool wick, for sizes your supplier does not sell pre-tabbed, and for anyone making wicks in quantity for a price that pre-tabbed cannot match.
What size wick tab do I need?
Twenty millimeters for jar candles and 12.5 mm for tealights. Fourteen millimeters is a middle size that works in both and is ideal in neither. The tab should be wide enough that the wick cannot lean, and narrow enough to leave wax between the metal and the container wall.
What hole size fits square braid wick?
Take the 4 mm hole. Heavy square braid, thick unprimed cotton and some wooden wick bases will not pass through 3 mm, and the listings that publish 2.9 or 3 mm are describing tealight and flat braid sizes.
What is the neck on a wick tab for?
The raised collar grips the wick where you crimp it, and its height sets how much wax is left when the flame reaches the tab. The one listing here that publishes a height gives 7 mm, and the pre-tabbed wick we feature elsewhere on the site publishes 6 mm.
Can I reuse wick tabs?
Physically yes, practically no. Getting old wax out of the neck and re-crimping a used tab takes longer than the tab costs, and a tab that has already been crimped does not grip a second wick as well.
How do I stop the tab moving while I pour?
Fix it down. A wick sticker or a drop of melted wax under the tab holds it to the base of the container, and a centering tool at the top keeps the wick from dragging it sideways. Pouring over an unfixed tab is how wicks end up against the glass.
Are zinc core tabs different from cotton wick tabs?
The tab is the same part. What changes is the hole the wick needs: a zinc core wick has a stiff center that makes it thicker than a bare cotton braid of the same nominal size, so it needs the hole checked rather than assumed. One listing here claims zinc core compatibility and publishes no hole size at all.
Sources
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