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Cotton Candle Wick — Braided and Twisted, Unwaxed Rolls
✓ Specs last checked: 2026-09-02
We make cotton candle wick in flat, square and round braid, plus a twisted line, in our Jaipur factory and ship it as raw, unwaxed, untabbed rolls on continuous length, so you wax and tab it locally. MOQ is 1,000 meters (approx. 1,094 yards) per SKU, we export to 60+ countries, and every quote is answered within one working day.
We've been braiding cotton cords in Jaipur since 1991. A candle wick is an engineered braid, and the ply count and braid pattern decide how your candle burns.
We supply cotton candle wicks in flat braid and square braid, in multiple ply counts, sold as raw unwaxed rolls straight off our braiding machines. We sell the braid, not tabbed finished wicks — import by the kilogram, then wax and tab close to your production line.
What Is a Braided Candle Wick, and Does the Braid Really Matter?
A candle wick is a braided cotton cord that pulls melted wax up to the flame through capillary action. That capillary action is set by the braid — how many plies, how tight, flat or square. Get it wrong and the candle tunnels, smokes, or drowns itself.
Flat braid curls as it burns, which pushes the tip into the hottest part of the flame so it self-trims. It's the standard choice for container candles. Square braid stays upright and holds more melted wax, so it suits beeswax and pillar candles where the wick needs rigidity. We run both constructions on our in-house braiding machines and hold the same spec batch after batch.
Always burn-test a wick against your exact wax, fragrance load, and vessel diameter before committing to volume. Ask us for sample lengths of a few ply counts with your quote — test first, then order bulk.
Which Construction for Which Candle
All four constructions come off our own braiding and twisting machines, and each earns its place in a different candle.
Construction
Behaviour in the flame
Where it goes
Flat braid
Tip curls into the flame and self-trims
Container and jar candles
Square braid
Stands straight in thick, hot melt pools
Beeswax and high-fragrance candles
Round braid
More fibre body, wider melt pool
Pillars and larger diameters
Twisted
Simplest, fastest-burning
Birthday candles, diyas, votives
Thickness is specified by ply count, and the honest sizing method is a test burn in your own wax — the full walkthrough is in our candle wick guide. What we hold constant is the wick itself: the same construction and ply, order after order, so a size you validated once stays validated.
What Do You Get From Our Factory?
Twisting and braiding both happen in-house on our own machines, so we control ply count, braid tension, and roll length ourselves and can repeat a spec exactly on your reorder. Standard supply is natural, undyed wick; dyed wick is made to order on bulk volumes, with the fibre stated in the quote.
Send us your vessel diameter and wax type. We'll tell you which braids to test.
Dispatch and freight
Ex-works Jaipur — about 2 to 6 days by surface across India. Freight is to your account, by your transporter or ours. Export orders are quoted separately with air and sea options.
Cotton Candle Wick — Specifications
Material
Cotton — supplied natural and undyed as standard; dyed wick made to order at bulk, fibre stated in the quote
Construction
Flat braid, square braid, round braid or twisted
Format
Continuous roll, unwaxed and untabbed; supplied by the metre; cut-to-length on bulk orders, not tabbed
Sizes
Multiple ply counts — matched to vessel diameter and wax type
Colours
Natural white cotton
MOQ
1,000 m per SKU, shade and size
Lead time
Quote within one working day; 7-14 days air, 25-40 days sea
Packing
Raw unwaxed rolls, carton-packed
Origin
Jaipur, India — braided in our own factory
Diya wick in the catalogue
Besides wick on rolls, the catalogue lists a 6 mm braided cotton akhand diya wick as a ready product.
What is the difference between flat braid and square braid candle wick?
Flat braided wick curls into the flame as it burns and self-trims, which makes it the standard choice for container candles. Square braided wick stays rigid and holds more melted wax, so it works better for beeswax and pillar candles. We braid both in-house in multiple ply counts.
Do these wicks come tabbed and waxed?
No. We ship raw braid on continuous rolls, exactly as it comes off the braiding machine — unwaxed and untabbed; cut-to-length is available on bulk orders. If you need pre-tabbed, pre-waxed, series-coded wicks ready to drop into a vessel, we are not the right supplier. Candle factories buying at volume prefer raw braid because they wax it to their own blend, cut to their own vessel height and tab on their own line; it also packs denser and ships cheaper than coated wick.
What is the minimum order for bulk candle wick?
Our MOQ is 1,000 meters (approx. 1,094 yards) per SKU, and a SKU is one ply count in one braid — so a first order is one wick, burn-tested against your own wax before you commit to production volume. Three or four ply counts can ship together; each carries its own 1,000 m.
What does candle wick cost per metre?
₹3-10 per metre ex-works Jaipur, on raw unwaxed rolls. Ply count and braid set the price — a light flat braid runs cheaper than a heavy square braid holding more strands. Because wick is a consumable, most buyers lock a rate against a standing spec and reorder against it.
How long does shipping take from India to the USA?
Air courier takes 7-10 days to the US and sea freight takes 25-40 days. For the November-January candle season, sea orders should leave by early September. We ship worldwide from Jaipur.
Which candle wick works for soy candles?
Soy is a container wax, so flat braid is the usual starting point — it curls into the flame and self-trims. Ply count is the part you have to test, because the melt pool shifts with fragrance load and vessel diameter. Send us your vessel size and wax type and we will send a few ply counts to burn-test before you order bulk.
Is your candle wick pure cotton?
The natural, undyed wick is pure cotton — it never passes through the dye house. Dyed wick is made to order at bulk volumes, and on those orders the fibre is stated plainly on the quote so there is never a question about what is burning in your candle.
Do you supply candle wick on rolls or spools?
Yes — the wick ships unwaxed on rolls or spools, and the put-up length is wound to order rather than fixed, so the roll that suits your waxing line is the roll you get. Tell us the length your machines run with the enquiry.
Are you a candle wick manufacturer in India?
Yes — the wick is braided and twisted at our own factory in Jaipur, running since 1991, in all four constructions: flat braid, square braid, round braid and twisted. We supply candle makers and brands at production volume, 1,000 metres per SKU minimum, and a quote comes back within one working day.
Is this the dhaga used for diya and candle batti?
For candle batti, yes — braided and twisted cotton wick in all four constructions, unwaxed on rolls. Diya makers usually take the twisted construction; container-candle makers take flat braid. Both come off our own machines at 1,000 metres per SKU.
What is the difference between a flat wick and a round wick?
Flat braid is a flat plait, and as it burns the tip curls over into the hottest part of the flame, where it self-trims — that is why flat braid is the standard choice for container and jar candles. Round braid is a different construction: it carries more fibre body and opens a wider melt pool, which is why it goes into pillars and larger diameters. In either construction the thickness itself is set by ply count rather than by the braid pattern alone, so the braid tells you how the wick behaves and the ply count tells you how much it drinks. Both come off our own braiding machines in Jaipur in multiple ply counts, unwaxed on rolls, so you can burn-test the two side by side in your own wax.
Is a round wick the same as a square braid wick?
No — round braid and square braid are two separate constructions, two of the four we run alongside flat braid and twisted. Square braid stands straight in thick, hot melt pools, which is what beeswax and high-fragrance candles ask for. Round braid carries more fibre body and opens a wider melt pool, which is what pillars and larger diameters ask for. Flat braid is the odd one out in behaviour: its tip curls into the flame and self-trims, so it is the usual starting point for containers and jars. All four are braided or twisted in our own Jaipur factory in multiple ply counts, so you can compare them on the same cotton before you commit.
Do you have a candle wick size chart?
We do not publish one, because a wick size only means something next to a specific wax, fragrance load and vessel diameter — the same thickness that burns cleanly in a narrow container can tunnel or drown in a wide pillar. We specify thickness by ply count and treat a burn test in your own wax as the sizing method, which is also how our candle wick guide approaches it. Send us your vessel diameter, wax type and the construction you want, and we will suggest a few ply counts to test. Once a ply count is validated in your wax, we hold that exact spec on every reorder.
What size candle wick do I need for my jar diameter?
Vessel diameter is only half the answer; the wax, the fragrance load and the braid you pick set the rest, so we size by ply count and confirm it with a test burn rather than reading it off a chart. Tell us the diameter and the wax and we will point you at a construction — flat braid for most containers, round braid as the diameter and the melt pool grow, square braid for beeswax and high-fragrance candles — plus a short list of ply counts to try. Ask for sample lengths of those ply counts with your quote, which comes back within one working day, so you validate the size before committing to the 1,000 m per SKU minimum.
Flat, round, square or twisted — which candle wick should I test first?
Start from the candle. Container and jar candles usually start with flat braid, because the tip curls into the flame and self-trims. Pillars and larger diameters start with round braid for its extra fibre body and wider melt pool, and beeswax or high-fragrance candles start with square braid, which stands straight in a thick, hot melt pool. Birthday candles, diyas and votives take the twisted line, the simplest and fastest-burning of the four. All four are braided or twisted in our own Jaipur factory, so you can compare constructions on the same cotton.
