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Candle labels: how to choose the best labels for candle jars
A lavender candle in an amber jar on the bathroom shelf. A gift set wrapped up for Christmas. A little tin that rides along in a tote bag to the next market. Your label goes everywhere your candle goes.
And it has to keep looking good while the flame does its thing. Here's how to pick a label that can take the heat, and how to make the material part of your design.
TL;DR:
Candle labels sit on a container that gets warm, so heat decides the material before looks do.
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Metallic and Kraft paper labels are made for higher temperatures than the outside of a burning candle jar usually reaches. White vinyl and Clear are not.
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Our labels are made for candle jars and tins, not for sticking straight onto wax.
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On Clear, Kraft paper and Metallic labels, you choose where the material shows through. Click a colour in the editor and pick No effect, Colour effect or Full effect.
What is a candle label?
A candle label tells people what's in the jar: the candle's name, the scent, your brand and the practical details. Part branding, part information. Labels are the informers of the sticker world, and we dig into that in stickers vs labels: what's the difference?
Our candle labels come as labels on roll, so you can apply them by hand or with a labelling machine. Ten candles or ten thousand, the roll keeps up.
Then there's shape. Go round for lids, rectangular for jars, or pick a custom shape that follows your design. The label lives on the outside of the jar or tin, and that's exactly where the heat question comes in.
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What are the best labels for candle jars?
The best labels for candle jars are Metallic and Kraft paper. Both are made for higher temperatures than the outside of a burning candle jar usually reaches.
While a candle burns, the glass often gets to around 50–60 °C on the outside. Burn time, jar size and the wick all play a part, so treat that as a rough guide.
Here's how our label materials handle heat:
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Metallic: made for temperatures up to 80 °C
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Kraft paper: made for temperatures up to 93 °C
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White vinyl and Clear: made for temperatures up to 50 °C, so they're not the right choice for jars that get hot
One more thing. Our labels are made for candle jars and tins, so stick them on the container and not straight onto the wax.
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Which label material suits your candle?
Heat is the first filter. Then it's all about the look you want on the shelf.
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Metallic: a silver, mirror-like base that makes logos and details catch the light. Pick a glossy or matte laminate. Lovely on gift sets and luxury scents.
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Kraft paper: warm brown, textured and made from 100% recycled paper. It's uncoated, so you can write the scent or batch number by hand. It doesn't like water or oil, so make sure the jar is clean and dry before the label goes on.
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White vinyl: bright, crisp and easy to read. A good fit for candle packaging that stays cool.
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Clear: the no-label look, as if your design was printed right on the glass. Same deal here: keep it where it won't heat up.
Want the full rundown on finishes? Read varnish vs laminate.
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How do you add material effects to Clear, Kraft paper and Metallic labels?
You add material effects with a white layer, which is printed in white under parts of your design. Where there's white underneath, colours look solid. Where there isn't, the material shows through. Our white layer guide explains it in detail.
On Clear, Kraft paper, and Metallic labels, you can set it up right in the editor:
Upload your artwork and choose your material.
Under Material effect, click a colour in your design.
Choose No effect (white layer underneath), Colour effect (the colour printed straight onto the material), or Full effect (no print, just the material).
White vinyl is already white, so it doesn't need one. Want something more specific? Add an effect layer in your file, or leave a comment when you order and tell us which parts should be solid.
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What each effect does on your candle label
Same three buttons, three very different results. Here's what they do on each material.
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Clear: choose where the glass shows
No effect keeps text and logos solid and readable, even on amber or dark glass. Colour effect lets the jar shine through your colours. Full effect leaves a clear window onto the candle. Barcodes always need white behind them to scan reliably.
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Kraft paper: choose how rustic
Full effect shows the bare brown paper for that handmade feel. Colour effect prints straight onto the kraft, so colours turn muted and earthy. No effect puts white underneath, so brighter colours look true. White itself prints crisp on the brown paper.
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Metallic: choose where it shines
Colour effect gives your colours a metallic shimmer, so you can go gold, pink or anything in between. No effect blocks the shine for solid colours. Full effect shows the bare silver. Mix them for a shiny logo next to crisp, easy-to-read text.
Ready to label your candles?
Pick Metallic or Kraft paper for jars that get warm, play with the material effects, and make the label as cosy as the candle. Want to see the materials on your own jars first? The label sample pack on our label materials page has them all.
And if you're still deciding on a look, level up your labels has more design inspo.
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