Candle molds: pillars, votives, tealights, and wax melts
Some candles are released from a mold instead of poured into a vessel — here's which formats use a mold, and how to record its wick-setting and unmolding details so Ellie can size a recipe to it.
Not every candle lives in a jar. A pillar, a wax melt, and some votives and tealights are poured into a mold and then released once the wax sets. Recording those molds tells Ellie how much each one holds and how you get the candle out — so she can size a recipe to fill it and set the wick the right way.
Molds vs. vessels
The difference comes down to where the finished candle ends up:
- A container candle or a gel candle stays in the jar, tin, or tumbler you poured it into. That jar is a vessel, and it lives on the Vessels shelf.
- A pillar or a wax melt is always released from a mold — there's no vessel to keep it in.
- A votive or a tealight can go either way: you might pour it into a small cup, or release it from a mold. The candle wizard asks which one you mean.
So molds only come into play for the formats that release. Container and gel candles never bind to a mold.
Which formats use a mold
Only four candle formats can be made in a mold:
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pillar Candle | Always released from a mold. |
| Wax Melt | Always released from a mold. |
| Votive Candle | Can be poured into a small vessel or released from a mold. |
| Tealight | Can be poured into a cup or released from a mold. |
If a format isn't in this list, it's a vessel candle — see your candle pantry for the four shelves.
Where candle molds live
Candle molds share the same Molds shelf as resin molds — in a candle workspace it sits alongside Waxes, Wicks, Fragrances, and Vessels. Tap Add, choose Molds, and fill in the basics: Name, Category, Shape, Dimensions (mm), the number of Cavities, and the Volume per cavity. Ellie works out the total the mold holds from the cavity count and the per-cavity volume.
When your workspace makes candles, the mold form also shows three candle-specific fields:
- Candle format — which of the four moldable formats this mold is for (Pillar, Wax Melt, Votive, or Tealight).
- Wick setting — how the wick is held in place while you pour.
- Unmold method — how the finished candle comes out.
Setting Candle format is what marks a mold as candle-suitable, so it shows up when you're building a candle recipe.
Wick setting
A moldable candle still needs its wick centred and held while the wax firms up. The Wick setting field records how you do that:
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pin through mold | A pin holds the wick through the mold. |
| Rod through mold | A rod runs the wick through the mold. |
| Vessel-centered clip | A clip centres the wick, as you would in a vessel. |
| None (wickless) | No wick — for example, a wax melt. |
If you're not sure which wick to pair with a mold, the Wicks shelf is where your sizes live.
Unmolding
The Unmold method field records how the candle releases once it's set:
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Flex pop-out | A flexible mold you bend to pop the candle out. |
| Two-part seam | A rigid two-part mold that opens along a seam. |
| Release spray | A mold release helps the candle slide out. |
How a mold binds to a recipe
When you build a candle recipe for a moldable format, the recipe reads your candle-suitable molds so you can pick the one you're making. From there Ellie sizes the wax to fill the mold, and carries the wick-setting and unmold details through with it. If you'd rather write the recipe yourself, the manual candle recipe form reads the same molds.
Tip: Set the Candle format, Wick setting, and Unmold method when you add the mold — that's what lets Ellie recommend it for the right recipe and remind you how it comes apart.
The custom-mold limit
Molds share one shelf across your crafts, and on the free plan you can keep up to 5 custom molds total. If you reach the cap, you can restore a customized template back to its ready-made form to free a slot, or upgrade to lift the limit. It's the same limit whether the molds are for candles or resin.