Candle Calculator
Fragrance Oil to Wax Ratio Calculator
Enter the size of the candle you are making and the fragrance load you want, and this works out exactly how much wax and how much fragrance oil to weigh out. It calculates fragrance as a percentage of the total finished candle weight, which is the method we teach and the reason the two numbers always add up to the size you typed in.
How to use it
Candle size. The finished weight of the candle you are making, not the weight of the wax. Choose ounces, grams or millilitres from the dropdown.
Fragrance load. The percentage of the finished candle that should be fragrance oil. Most makers work between 6 and 12%. Check your supplier's maximum for the specific oil, because it varies.
Calculate. You get back the wax amount and the fragrance amount, in the unit you picked.
Should fragrance load be a percentage of wax weight or total candle weight?
This is where our method differs from most of what you will read, and it is why this calculator can give you a different answer to others.
We calculate fragrance as a percentage of the total finished candle weight. A 10 oz candle at 8% is 0.8 oz of fragrance oil and 9.2 oz of wax, and the finished candle weighs exactly 10 oz.
The common method calculates against wax weight instead. Pour 10 oz of wax and add 0.8 oz of fragrance on top and you now have 10.8 oz going into a 10 oz vessel. You have overfilled, and your real fragrance load is 0.8 divided by 10.8, which is 7.4%, not the 8% your recipe claims.
That gap matters twice. It changes how your candle actually smells, and because fragrance oil is usually the most expensive ingredient per ounce, it quietly puts your cost of goods out by more than any other single error.
How much wax do you need for a candle?
Take the finished candle weight and subtract the fragrance. A 10 oz candle at an 8% load needs 9.2 oz of wax. Enter your vessel size above and the calculator does it for you, in whichever unit you work in.
How many 4 oz candles will 10 lbs of wax make?
10 lbs is 160 oz. At an 8% fragrance load each 4 oz candle holds 3.68 oz of wax, so 160 divided by 3.68 comes out at roughly 43 candles. Plan on about 40 in practice, because some wax always stays behind in the melter and the pouring pitcher.
How do you calculate the cost of a candle?
Add up the wax, fragrance, wick, vessel, labels and packaging for one candle, using what you actually paid including shipping rather than the list price. Most makers forget the shipping on their supplies, and on our own candles that is a full dollar of the total. We walk through the whole method, with a real itemised example, in how to calculate candle cost of goods.
What is the 30/50/20 rule?
This one gets mixed up with fragrance load a lot, so it is worth separating. The 30/50/20 rule is about blending scents, not about how much oil goes in the candle. It is a starting ratio for building a blend: roughly 30% top notes, 50% middle or heart notes, and 20% base notes. Your fragrance load is a separate decision, and that is what the calculator above works out. If you are blending your own scents, we cover it properly in how to blend fragrance oils for custom candle scents.
What fragrance load should I use?
Between 6 and 12% covers most soy and coconut soy candles, with 8 to 10% being the range we use most. More is not automatically better. Past the oil's maximum load the wax cannot hold it, and you get sweating, seeping and a wick that struggles. Always check the supplier's stated maximum for the specific oil, then test before you scale a formula.
Once you have your numbers, the next question is what to charge. That is covered in our candle pricing guide.