How to Choose the Right Sealing Wax

The best sealing wax for your project depends on two things: whether you want the finished seal to bend or break, and how you prefer to melt the wax.

Start with how you’ll use your seals, then choose the application method that suits you.

Which Sealing Wax Is Best for My Project?

Your project	Our recommendation
Mailed invitations and letters	Flexible sealing wax, with an outer envelope for added protection
Gift wrapping, tags, and frequently handled items	Flexible sealing wax
Letters or documents you want to open by breaking the seal	Traditional breakable sealing wax
Historical or ceremonial projects	Traditional breakable sealing wax
A large batch of invitations or favors	Glue-gun sealing wax for convenient dispensing
Small projects and experimenting with colors	Wax beads or suitable wickless wax with a melting spoon

Flexible or Breakable: Choose Your Wax Type

Flexible Sealing Wax for Mailing & Everyday Projects

Flexible sealing wax bends rather than readily cracking, making it a good choice for mailed invitations, letters, gift wrapping, and projects that will be handled.

Flexible waxes come in several formulas and formats, including beads, wick sticks, and glue-gun sticks. Ingredients vary by product, so check the individual description if you’re looking for a vegan wax or a particular finish.

Can you mail an envelope with a wax seal?

Yes—choose flexible sealing wax. However, postal machinery can still damage or remove an exposed seal. For extra protection, place your wax-sealed envelope inside an outer mailing envelope.

Wax seals can also affect postage. Before mailing a large batch, take a completed sample to your post office to confirm the postage and mailing requirements.

Shop flexible, mailable sealing waxes

Traditional Breakable Sealing Wax

Traditional sealing wax creates a hard, brittle seal that cracks when bent or broken open. Choose it when breaking the seal is part of the experience, such as opening a hand-delivered letter or a ceremonial document.

It also works for historical projects and decorative pieces that won’t need to flex. Handle finished seals carefully, as they can chip or crack.

We do not recommend traditional breakable wax for exposed seals on mailed envelopes.

Shop traditional breakable sealing waxes

Choose How You Want to Melt Your Wax

The wax’s format tells you how to use it—not necessarily whether the finished seal will be flexible or breakable. Check the product description for both.

Glue-Gun Sealing Wax: Convenient for Larger Batches

Glue-gun sealing wax is a practical choice when you’re making lots of invitations, gift tags, or favors. The gun dispenses melted wax directly onto your project, making it easier to repeat a consistent amount.

Choose a glue gun that matches the wax stick’s diameter and recommended temperature. Full-size and mini sticks require different-sized guns.

If you’ll be using several colors, keep in mind that wax remaining inside the gun will mix with the next color as it feeds through.

Shop glue-gun sealing wax

Wax Beads & Wickless Sticks: Useful for Small Batches

Wax beads are easy to portion into a melting spoon, making them a convenient choice for a few seals at a time or projects with frequent color changes.

Suitable wickless sticks can also be portioned and melted in a spoon. Follow the instructions for your chosen wax, as melting methods vary.

For marbled or blended colors, use compatible colors from the same wax line rather than combining different wax formulas.

Browse sealing wax and melting instructions

Sealing Wax with a Wick: A Simple Way to Get Started

Wick sealing wax lets you make seals using a match or lighter, without a separate melting spoon or glue gun.

Light the wick and follow the product’s instructions to drip the wax onto your project before stamping.

Wick wax can be flexible or breakable. Choose according to how you want the finished seal to behave, rather than assuming all wick sticks are traditional breakable wax.

See how to use wick sealing wax

Which Sealing Wax Should I Use for Wedding Invitations?

For mailed wedding invitations, choose flexible sealing wax. Use an outer envelope if you want to protect the seal during mailing, and check postage with a completed invitation before sending the full batch.

For a large invitation project, glue-gun wax makes dispensing convenient. For smaller batches or several different colors, wax beads and a melting spoon may suit you better.

Traditional breakable wax is an option for hand-delivered invitations when you want guests to break the seal to open them.

Browse flexible sealing wax for invitations

How Much Sealing Wax Will I Need?

Your stamp size, wax formula, and preferred border thickness all affect how much wax each seal uses.

For example, one stick of our Original wick sealing wax makes approximately 8–10 seals with a ¾-inch stamp. Larger stamps and wider borders require more wax.

Check the yield information and wax calculator we have set up on each wax product page, and allow a little extra for practice.

What Makes LetterSeals’ Sealing Wax Different?

We helped change how people make wax seals by creating and bringing glue-gun sealing wax to market. Using a glue gun made dispensing sealing wax more convenient, especially for projects with lots of seals.

Today, we make our own sealing wax lines in our Seattle-area studio and also carry selected waxes from other makers. We work with these products ourselves and can help you choose a wax based on how it melts, holds, and looks in your finished project.

Explore our sealing wax collection, or ask us for help choosing.

Do I Need to Match My Sealing Wax Brand to My Stamp?

Usually, no. A wax seal stamp does not generally require sealing wax from the same brand.

What matters more is choosing wax suited to your project and giving it enough time to set before lifting the stamp. Some wax formulas hold more strongly than others and benefit from a cool stamp.

If you already have a stamp, tell us its size and what you’re making—we can help you choose suitable wax.

See our wax sealing instructions.

Will the Same Sealing Wax Look Different with Different Stamps?

Yes! The size and engraving of your stamp can change the appearance of the finished seal. Broad engraved areas, fine lines, and deep details catch light differently, particularly in metallic or pearlescent wax.

The amount of wax you use also changes the border around the impression. A smaller pour creates a close-fitting edge; more wax creates a wider, more organic border.

When comparing colors, remember that lighting and screen settings can also affect how the wax appears.

What Should I Choose First: My Wax or My Stamp?

Start with how you’ll use the finished seal. If it will be mailed, choose flexible wax. If you want the seal to break when opened, choose traditional breakable wax.

Next, choose your stamp’s design and size. Stamp size affects how much wax you’ll need, while detailed artwork may benefit from a larger face.

Finally, choose your wax color and melting method. For a large batch, glue-gun wax is convenient; for smaller projects or frequent color changes, beads and a spoon may be a better fit.

Do You Engrave Your Own Wax Seal Stamps?

Yes! We engrave our own line of wax seal stamps in-house at our Seattle-area studio, including designs, initials, monograms, and custom artwork or logos.

We make these stamps to order, with a choice of stamp styles and sizes. Because we do the engraving ourselves, you can ask us directly about your artwork, the details you hope to capture, and which size will suit your project.

We also carry stamps from other makers; individual product descriptions identify the stamps we create here.

Explore our custom image and logo stamps, review our artwork guidelines, or ask us about your project.

Need Help Choosing?

We’re happy to help out!

Email hello@letterseals.mom, text +1 (425) 470-2950, or send us a message: hello@letterseals.mom