My New Soy Wax Requires a Different Wick to Achieve the Same Melt Pool — Is That Enough Evidence to Reject the Batch?
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What counts as proof? Matched candles from old and new lots, same day, same jar, oil, load and wick, showing a repeatable melt pool difference measured at fixed times. Photos and a written log make it usable.
Can I just switch wicks and carry on? You can, as a conditional release, but the new wick plus new lot is a new combination that needs its own full burn test before customer stock.
What should I ask the supplier? Whether anything changed in the product or its source, whether other buyers have reported similar behaviour, and what resolution they offer. Record the answer with the invoice.
A different wick need is a deviation, not a verdict
In goods-in language there are three levels of finding. An observation is something you noticed. A deviation is a confirmed difference from what you approved. A nonconformity is a deviation that breaks what you and the supplier agreed. A lot that seems to need a different wick starts as an observation. Your job before production is to decide whether it rises to either of the other two.
This matters because the three levels lead to different actions. An observation earns a closer look. A deviation earns quarantine and a formula decision. A nonconformity earns a rejection conversation. Jumping straight from the first to the last is how makers end up returning good wax and then discovering that the real cause was a new packet of wicks.
It also matters what you bought. If your approval rests on a product page that describes a soy container wax with a stated load, that page does not promise a particular wick in your jar. CSI product pages, for example, publish no melt pool data, no wick recommendation per jar and no lot tolerances. Your own approved formula, recorded against a reference lot, is the benchmark you are really measuring against.
Building the evidence ladder
Each rung of evidence removes one alternative explanation. Work through them in order and stop if a rung fails, because that failure is itself the answer.
Worked example: pricing the choice
Take a maker pouring 200 g candles at 8% total load from a 25 kg delivery of CSI 464 (2 × ₹5,074.00 + ₹2,537.00 = ₹12,685.00). That is 25,000 ÷ 184 = 135 candles. Her approved wick is Eco Thin (C1). The paired test shows the new lot's pool reaching only part of the jar after three hours with C1, while old-lot wax reaches the edge. A trial with Eco Thick (C2) in new-lot wax reaches the edge.
| Decision | Working | Direct cost or exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Conditional release with Eco Thick (C2) | Extra per candle: ₹9.44 − ₹5.90 = ₹3.54; × 135 candles | ₹477.90 more on wicks, plus a full burn test of the new combination |
| Reject and return the lot | Full value of the delivery at list price | ₹12,685.00 tied up until the supplier resolves it |
| Use unchanged with Eco Thin (C1) | 135 candles that may not reach a full melt pool | Customer complaints and rework, not a price you can calculate in advance |
On these numbers the wick change is cheap compared with the value of the lot. That does not make it the right answer by default. If the new combination fails its full burn test, or the lot is also showing frosting, wet spots or a changed odour, the cumulative evidence may favour rejection. If this is the third lot in a row that has needed a wick change, the pattern matters more than the individual cost. And if you sell a large range of jar sizes, one lot that needs a new wick in every size multiplies the testing burden well beyond ₹477.90.
What a melt pool shift can and cannot tell you
A smaller pool with the same wick tells you the new-lot candle is absorbing the flame's heat differently. The likely wax-side reasons are a slightly higher melting range, a firmer crystal structure, or a lot that holds fragrance differently and so changes how the wick burns. None of these is a defect in itself. Natural waxes vary, and a lot can sit at a different point of normal variation from the one you happened to approve.
What the shift cannot tell you is whether the wax is worse. A lot that needs a larger wick may burn cleaner, frost less or hold its top better; a lot that pools faster may tunnel less but sweat more in summer. Look at the whole candle, not only the pool. Note soot on the glass, flame height, mushrooming after four hours, surface finish and any fragrance change, and compare each against the old-lot candle burning beside it.
It also cannot tell you anything about other jar sizes. A lot that needs one step up in a narrow jar may be fine in a wide one, or the reverse. If you sell several sizes, the deviation has to be checked in each before release, starting with the size you pour most often.
The supplier conversation
Before you decide, give the supplier a chance to respond with your evidence in front of them. A good conversation is specific and short. Send the invoice date, product name, pack sizes received, the date you opened the bag, the test design, melt pool measurements for both lots and photos.
Then ask three questions. Has anything changed in the product, its source or its processing? Have other customers reported similar behaviour on recent deliveries? What resolution do you offer if the lot does not suit my approved formula? Write the answers into your record, with the date and the name of the person who replied.
If the supplier is CSI, the channel is WhatsApp +91 7397976926. CSI does not publish certificates of analysis or lot-specific melt data on its product pages, so do not expect a document to settle the matter; your paired test is the evidence. If the lot fails your comparison and a wick change is not acceptable to you, say so. A lot that fails goes back in quarantine whoever supplied it, including us.
Making and recording the decision
| Outcome | Justified when | What to write on the label |
|---|---|---|
| Accept | Paired test shows no repeatable difference; the shortfall came from something else | Released, date, initials |
| Conditional release | Difference confirmed; new wick passes full burn test; no other deviation | Released only with named wick; not to be mixed with previous lot |
| Reject | Difference confirmed and repeated; other deviations present, or new wick fails; supplier informed | Rejected, reason, do not use |
| Hold | Evidence incomplete or supplier reply pending | Quarantine, reason, expected review date |
A conditional release creates a traceability duty. The lot-specific wick must be written on your batch sheet, on the bags and in the formula file, so that when the next lot arrives you test it against the original approved combination, not the workaround. Otherwise each lot quietly moves your formula a step further from where you started.
Where this page fits
CSI already has guides that cover parts of this question. This page covers the goods-in check for the question above; these go deeper on the rest:
Three things to buy for this job
| Option | Price | Status on the September 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| Thin (C1) × 100 | ₹590.00 | In stock |
| Thin (C1) × 1,000 | ₹5,900.00 | In stock |
| Thick (C2) × 100 | ₹944.00 | In stock |
| Thick (C2) × 1,000 | ₹9,440.00 | In stock |
| Option | Price | Status on the September 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| 500 g | ₹260.00 | In stock |
| 1 kg | ₹507.40 | In stock |
| 5 kg | ₹2,537.00 | In stock |
| 10 kg | ₹5,074.00 | In stock |
| Option | Price | Status on the September 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| Pack of 10 | ₹944.00 | In stock |
| Pack of 20 | ₹1,888.00 | In stock |
CANDLEMAKINGSUPPLIESINDIA supplies raw materials and production equipment, not finished candles. This guide separates general quality-control practice from what CSI's own product pages state, says plainly what CSI does not publish (lot numbers, certificates of analysis, tolerances), and labels every sample size, tolerance or retained quantity as a starting point for your own validation.
Prices are live CSI prices from September 2026; product pages are authoritative. Where a spec is not published — such as a lot number, a jar's internal diameter or a wick's burn rate — this guide says so rather than filling the gap.
For bulk quotes, questions about a specific delivery, GST invoicing, IFRA and MSDS documents, message us on WhatsApp at +91 7397976926.
Frequently asked questions
- My New Wax Batch Is Slightly Harder Than the Previous One — Could That Change Wick Requirements Even If Everything Else Remains Identical?
- I Ordered 100 Kg of the Same Candle Wax and Received Multiple Batch Numbers — Should I Test Each Lot Separately Before Combining Them in Production?
- Can I Mix Two Different Lots of the Same Soy Wax in One Production Batch or Should I Qualify Them Individually First?
- I Have 10 Kg Left From My Old Wax Batch and 25 Kg From a New One — How Should I Transition Without Creating Unexplained Changes in Finished Candles?
- My Supplier Changed the Packaging of My Usual Soy Wax — What Information Should I Verify Before Assuming the Material Inside Is Unchanged?
- My Wax Supplier Says the Formulation Has Not Changed but My Production Results Have — What Objective Tests Can I Run Before Changing My Candle Formula?
- I’m Buying Soy Wax in 25 Kg Quantities for Commercial Candle Production — What Incoming Checks Should I Perform Every Time a New Batch Arrives?
- How Do I Create an Incoming QC Specification for Candle Wax Covering Appearance, Odour, Melting Behaviour, Hardness, Finished Appearance, Fragrance Compatibility and Burn Performance?
- Best Wick for Candle Making: Complete Guide by Diameter
- Why Does My Candle Tunnel Even With The Correct Wick?
Customer reviews: The reviews at the top are genuine, published Judge.me reviews — Suvarna P (5★, verified); Antara Srinivas Iyer (5★, verified); Tina Raha (4★, verified); Ashwini (5★, not recorded as verified); Lalitha Jagan (5★, not recorded as verified); Arshad Shaikh (5★, verified). Names, ratings, dates and products as recorded by Judge.me.
Product facts (September 2026, CSI live store): Eco Candle Wicks: Thin (C1) × 100 ₹590.00, Thin (C1) × 1,000 ₹5,900.00, Thick (C2) × 100 ₹944.00, Thick (C2) × 1,000 ₹9,440.00 — ₹5.90 (C1) and ₹9.44 (C2) per wick at every pack size. Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 (flakes): 500 g ₹260.00, 1 kg ₹507.40, 5 kg ₹2,537.00, 10 kg ₹5,074.00 — 100% soy container wax in flakes · single pour · stated fragrance load up to 10% · stated shelf life 60 months (cool, dry storage). Clear Glass Jar with Golden Lid (150 gram): Pack of 10 ₹944.00, Pack of 20 ₹1,888.00 — page: height with lid approx. 8 cm, outer rim approx. 7 cm, base approx. 6.5 cm, 150 g fill, safe for hot pour up to 85°C.
Assumptions: Fragrance load is a percentage of total candle weight (200 g = 184 g wax + 16 g oil at 8%). CSI product pages do not publish lot numbers, certificates of analysis, tolerances, jar internal diameters, wick dimensions or mould hardness; where this guide needs them, it tells you to measure or ask. Sample sizes, tolerances, retained quantities, test lengths and acceptance rules are suggested starting points to validate, not standards or CSI policy. Hypothetical supplier prices are CSI prices adjusted by the stated percentage and labelled as such. Worked examples are illustrations. Prices and availability change — product pages are authoritative.