Reference guide
U.S. candle industry and safety statistics
Eight clear, citable figures on candle trade and home-fire safety, gathered for writers, retailers, and anyone who wants a better view of the category.
Last updated September 30, 2026. Figures retain each source’s reporting period.
Jump to sourcesTrade at a glance
U.S. candle trade in 2024
The trade figures below cover Harmonized System code 340600, which includes candles, tapers, and similar products. They describe cross-border merchandise trade, not total retail sales.
$1.16 billion
U.S. candle imports by value
The United States imported $1,162,852,840 in candles, tapers, and similar products in 2024.
Source: UN Comtrade data via World Bank WITS315 million kg
U.S. candle imports by weight
The same 2024 import total was reported at 315,001,000 kilograms.
Source: UN Comtrade data via World Bank WITS$179.5 million
U.S. candle exports by value
The United States exported $179,521,700 in candles, tapers, and similar products in 2024.
Source: UN Comtrade data via World Bank WITS27.1 million kg
U.S. candle exports by weight
The 2024 export quantity was reported at 27,124,500 kilograms.
Source: UN Comtrade data via World Bank WITSHome safety
Candle-started home fires, 2019–2023
The National Fire Protection Association reports annual averages across five years. That makes the figures more useful for understanding the scale of risk than a single-year snapshot.
5,830
U.S. home structure fires per year
Candles were the heat source in an estimated annual average of 5,830 reported home structure fires from 2019 through 2023.
Source: National Fire Protection Association, published 202566
Civilian deaths per year
Those candle-started home fires caused an estimated annual average of 66 civilian deaths from 2019 through 2023.
Source: National Fire Protection Association, published 2025572
Civilian injuries per year
Those fires caused an estimated annual average of 572 civilian injuries from 2019 through 2023.
Source: National Fire Protection Association, published 2025$270 million
Direct property damage per year
The estimated annual average direct property damage from those candle-started home fires was $270 million from 2019 through 2023.
Source: National Fire Protection Association, published 2025How to read these figures
Trade values and safety estimates answer different questions, so they should not be compared as if they measure the same thing. The trade figures show the scale of U.S. cross-border candle commerce in 2024. The safety figures show estimated annual averages for reported home structure fires in 2019–2023.
Methodology and sources
Sources, dates, and citation
This page uses the latest available source year for each topic, rather than combining different reports into a single estimate. All trade statistics use 2024 data. All home-fire figures use National Fire Protection Association annual averages for 2019–2023.
- World Bank WITS, UN Comtrade 2024 U.S. imports for HS 340600, accessed September 30, 2026.
- World Bank WITS, UN Comtrade 2024 U.S. exports for HS 340600, accessed September 30, 2026.
- National Fire Protection Association, Home Structure Fires Supporting Tables, published August 2025, using 2019–2023 annual averages.
Cite this page
Kaila’s World. “U.S. Candle Industry and Safety Statistics: 2026.” Updated September 30, 2026. kailasworld.shop/candle-statistics.