A Visual Guide To The Different Types Of Candles

Did you know that there are different kinds of candles? Whether you use them at home (or for the upcoming undas or All Saint’s Day), there are different candle types and styles that are for specific uses and rooms. Get to know the types in our candle cheatsheet:

Votive

IMAGE Votive Candles With Holders from Crate & Barrel

These are tiny candles, usually less than 2” in diameter, and need to be placed in a glass, metal, or ceramic decorative container.

Best for: Any area; votives look beautiful when grouped together in glass containers.

Tealight

IMAGE Scented Tealight Set from Muji

These are tiny candles almost like votives, but are poured into small tin receptacles. Like votives, these need containers, and burn much faster—two hours or less.

Best for: Scattered in multiples indoors or art. Lovely when mixed with flowers or foliage in vases.

Tapers

IMAGE Ivory Tapers from Crate & Barrel

These are classic, long, elegant, and slim candles that need candelabra or candlesticks to put them in.

Best for: The dining table. Tapers would also look great perched on a console table by the entryway.

Candle Pot

IMAGE Cherry Tree Scented Candle in Jar from H & M Home

Candle pots are self-explanatory—they are simply candles poured into a pot, a vase, or a glass jar. Candle pots usually come in different scents, and burn very long.

Best for: Nightside tables, coffee table, or in the bathroom.

Pillar candles

IMAGE Unscented Pillar Candles from Pottery Barn

These are thick, large, candles that can stand on their own without a container, but there should be some sort of flat, heat-resistant surface to perch them on (like a ceramic or stone pillar candle holder).  

Best for: Centerpieces; these are beautiful lined up on a rectangular dining table.

Flameless candles

IMAGE Flameless Pillar Candles with Timer from Crate & Barrel

Can’t be bothered with watching out for a burning candle? If safety is your concern, get flameless candles, which are battery operated and have a faux “flame” that looks realistic, but doesn’t burn. Some flameless candles come with their own remote controls, or a timer that shuts the “flame” off after a specific period of time.

Best for: Anywhere, especially if you have kids or pets.