The premium independent candle category — roughly $30–80 retail, marketed on craft and material quality — has become crowded. The brands within it are not equally specified. This is a guide to what to look for on a spec sheet, what the strong brands publish, and what most still hide.
What a complete spec sheet contains
A candle's specifications are measurable. A brand that publishes them is signaling that they will accept accountability for the numbers. A brand that omits them is signaling something else.
A complete spec sheet has:
1. Wax composition by percentage. Not "soy blend" or "natural wax." Named components with ratios.
2. Wick material and certification chain. Cotton, wood, or paper. If wood, the species. If certified, the standard (FSC, PEFC).
3. Fragrance compliance and disclosure. IFRA compliance level, phthalate-free declaration, and composition at the note-family or essential-oil-binomial level.
4. Fragrance load percentage. The single most predictive spec for throw.
5. Vessel material and capacity. Glass type, weight, manufacturing origin.
6. Burn time with protocol. A single number is useful; a number with the test protocol (continuous burn vs. intervals, ambient temperature) is more useful.
7. Throw measurement with conditions. Cold throw and hot throw, at standardized distances, at a stated ambient temperature.
What most premium independent brands publish
Most brands in the $30–80 tier publish 3–4 of the above. Wax type (often vague), wick material (usually accurate), fragrance notes (in marketing language), and a burn time range.
The standard omissions:
Wax ratio. Even brands that name the primary wax (coconut, soy) rarely specify the percentage or the co-waxes.
Fragrance load. Almost universally omitted. The number tells you too much.
Throw with conditions. Throw is sometimes described qualitatively ("strong," "subtle") but rarely measured. Conditions almost never stated.
Burn protocol. Burn times are usually published as ranges with no methodology.
What Wendigo publishes
All seven items above, per scent, on each product page. The reasoning is straightforward: the buyer is going to evaluate the candle through their own experience anyway. We would rather be the source of the spec than the subject of guesswork.
A representative Wendigo spec sheet (Birch & Bone, 9 oz):
Wax: 90% hydrogenated coconut, 10% hydrogenated rapeseed
Wick: FSC-certified cherrywood (Prunus serotina), single-ply
Fragrance: IFRA 51 compliant, phthalate-free, 8% load, composition disclosed by note family
Vessel: soda-lime glass, 2.75" inner diameter, Lancaster OH manufacture
Burn time: 52 hours average, three-batch protocol (4hr continuous, 8hr continuous, 2hr intervals)
Cold throw: 4/5 at 1m; hot throw: 4.5/5 at 1m, 3/5 at 3m, measured at 70°F still air
How to evaluate the brands you're looking at
For any candle in the premium independent tier, check the product page against the seven items above. Count how many are present. The count is a reliable proxy for the brand's disclosure posture.
A score of 6–7 means the brand has decided to compete on transparency. They are signaling that their formulation will withstand inspection.
A score of 3–4 means the brand is operating at category norm. The formulation may be excellent, but you are being asked to trust the marketing rather than verify the spec.
A score of 0–2 means the brand is operating below category norm for the price tier. This does not mean the candle is bad. It means the brand has decided that disclosure is not part of what they are selling.
Once you know where a brand sits on this axis, you can decide whether their other qualities — design, scent identity, founder story — justify the disclosure gap.
We would rather be the source of the spec than the subject of guesswork.
Wendigo & Co.