5.1 The intent of this test method is to aid the candle manufacturer to optimize candle formulations in the reduction of visible smoke emissions.

5.2 This test method is intended to provide candle manufacturers a standard procedure to use during development of candle designs and formulations to compare relative smoke/burn behavior. For the development of this method, a protocol was established for trimming the wick on specially prepared test candles to 6 to 7 mm (¹/₄ in.) prior to each burn cycle. It is recommended that the manufacturer determine a standardized protocol, that is, either not trimming the wick or trimming the wick to an appropriate length in order for direct comparison of results.

5.3 A relative ranking of candle formulations can be established with the use of a histogram of the data and control charts.

5.4 This test method is not intended to set forth pass/fail criteria for visible smoke emissions from candles, as such, this method sets no standard level for visible smoke emissions.