# Tea lights, maxi tea lights and votives (heat sources)

> How big is a tea light and how much heat does it give?

- Category: Stirling engines › Heat & regenerator
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Standard tea light cup Ø37.5–39 × 16 mm; maxi Ø58 × 24; heat output from paraffin burn rate (about 2–3 g/h at 42 MJ/kg)
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/tea-light-candles/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=tea-light-candles · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/tea-light-candles/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); linked files under their publishers' licenses

## Notes

- Tea light: aluminium cup Ø38 (37.5–39) × 16 mm, 12–14 g wax, 4-hour burn, flame 25–35 mm tall; about 30–40 W of heat, of which a can bottom 15 mm above the wick captures maybe a third. Maxi tea light Ø58 × 24, 8–10 h, 60–80 W.
- Clearance: the flame tip wants 15–20 mm below the hot plate; closer sooths the can, farther wastes heat. A printed tea-light holder is a Ø39.5 × 8 mm pocket; keep PLA 25 mm or more from the flame or use the steel can as the stand.
- A 'thermoacoustic' demonstrator runs on one tea light; a 2 in tri-clamp Stirling wants two maxis or a spirit burner.

## Sizes

| candle | dia_mm | height_mm | burn_h | heat_w |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tea light | 38 | 16 | 4 | 30–40 |
| maxi tea light | 58 | 24 | 9 | 60–80 |
| votive | 38 | 50 | 15 | 30–40 |

## Where the files are

- Wikipedia: [Tealight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tealight) — web — CC BY-SA 4.0 (text)
- Wikipedia: [Candle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle) — web — CC BY-SA 4.0 (text)
- Long Earth Society: [Engine builds (videos and write-ups)](https://longearthsociety.com/engineering/) — web, video — LES site

## Free STEP/STL (3 parts, CC BY 4.0, Xem Studio)

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/tea-light-candles/index.json

- tea-light-38x16: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/tea-light-candles/tea-light-38x16.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/tea-light-candles/tea-light-38x16.stl) — tea light: Ø38 × 16 aluminium cup, wax to 14
- tea-light-maxi-58x24: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/tea-light-candles/tea-light-maxi-58x24.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/tea-light-candles/tea-light-maxi-58x24.stl) — maxi tea light: Ø58 × 24
- votive-38x50: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/tea-light-candles/votive-38x50.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/tea-light-candles/votive-38x50.stl) — votive candle Ø38 × 50 (no cup)

## Questions

**What are tea light dimensions?**

Ø38 × 16 mm aluminium cup (37.5–39 across makers); a holder pocket of Ø39.5 × 8 mm fits them all.

**How much heat does a tea light produce?**

Roughly 30–40 W total; a can bottom 15–20 mm above the flame captures about a third of it, enough for a soda-can Stirling.

## Fits with

- [Aluminium beverage cans: 12 oz standard, 16 oz, 330/500 mL, sleek, slim, mini](https://xemstudio.com/objects/beverage-cans/)
- [Steel food cans: soup, vegetable, tuna, #2, #2½, #10, coffee](https://xemstudio.com/objects/steel-food-cans/)
- [Can-engine printed kit: can caps, diaphragm clamps, displacer guides, crank stands, CD/platter hubs, syringe cradles](https://xemstudio.com/objects/can-engine-printed-kit/)
- [Thermoelectric (Peltier) modules: TEC1-12706, 12710, 30 mm](https://xemstudio.com/objects/thermoelectric-tec1/)