Two different questions hide inside "how long does a candle last," and they have different answers: how long it burns, and how long it keeps before you ever light it. Here's both, plus how to get the most out of either.

Burn time: how many hours you get

Soy burns slower and cooler than paraffin, so a soy candle generally lasts longer for its size. A rough rule for container candles is about 7 to 9 hours of burn time per ounce of wax. So a typical mid-size tin runs anywhere from the high tens into the hundreds of hours depending on its weight — and how you burn it matters as much as the number.

You'll get the most hours when you:

  • Nail the first burn so it never tunnels and wastes wax up the sides.
  • Trim the wick to about a quarter inch before each light.
  • Keep individual burns to around four hours, then let it rest.

We cover the full routine in how to make a candle last longer — small habits, a noticeably longer life.

Shelf life: how long it keeps unlit

Soy wax doesn't really "go bad," but fragrance fades over time — so a candle has a practical shelf life of roughly one to two years for best scent. After that it'll still burn; it just won't throw as strongly. A few notes:

  • Fragrance is the clock, not the wax. The scent is what degrades, mostly from light and heat exposure.
  • Color shifts are normal. Natural soy can lighten or develop a slightly mottled, frosty surface over time. That's the wax being itself, not a defect — and it doesn't affect the burn.
  • Small-batch helps. Candles poured in small runs tend to reach you fresher than mass-produced stock that sat in a warehouse for a year. Ours are poured in small batches in San Diego, so the fragrance clock starts late.

How to store them so they last

  • Keep them cool, dark, and covered. A drawer or cabinet beats a sunny windowsill. Heat and UV are what age the scent.
  • Lid on (or upside down). Limiting air exposure keeps the top notes from drifting off. A tin lid does this for free.
  • Don't stockpile forever. If you love a scent, it's better burned than saved. These are made to be used, not collected.

The honest answer

For a soy candle: plan on roughly 7–9 hours of burn per ounce, best scent within about a year or two of being poured, and longer on both counts if you burn it well and store it out of the sun. Treat it like good food more than a keepsake — fresh, and meant to be enjoyed before it fades.

Want to start fresh? The current batch is three scents, hand-poured in small runs — so the candle that arrives is new, not shelf-worn.