Candle Wax Calculator
Pick the container, how many you're pouring, the wax and the fragrance load, and get wax and fragrance oil by weight for the batch and per candle, with a warning if the load is above what the wax can hold.
max fragrance load 10%
6% light, 8% standard, 10% strong
90% leaves headspace below the rim
Wax
74.3 oz
4.64 lb · 2107 g
Fragrance oil
5.94 oz
169 g at 8%
Per candle
6.19 oz wax
6.69 oz with fragrance
Total batch
80.2 oz
5.02 lb to melt
Wax per candle = container fl oz × fill % × 0.86 oz of wax per fluid ounce (wax is lighter than water). Fragrance = wax × load %. Weigh both; volume measures of wax and oil are unreliable.
Wax per container, soy at 90% fill, and fragrance at 8%
| Container | Wax each | Fragrance each | Wax for 12 | Fragrance for 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 oz tin | 3.1 oz | 0.25 oz | 2.32 lb | 3 oz |
| 8 oz jar (straight) | 6.19 oz | 0.5 oz | 4.64 lb | 5.9 oz |
| 9 oz status jar | 6.97 oz | 0.56 oz | 5.22 lb | 6.7 oz |
| 12 oz jar | 9.29 oz | 0.74 oz | 6.97 lb | 8.9 oz |
| 16 oz mason | 12.38 oz | 0.99 oz | 9.29 lb | 11.9 oz |
| Wax melt clamshell (6 cavities) | 1.94 oz | 0.15 oz | 1.45 lb | 1.9 oz |
Waxes and their limits
| Wax | oz wax per fl oz | Max fragrance | 8 oz jar takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soy (container) | 0.86 | 10% | 6.19 oz |
| Coconut-soy blend | 0.88 | 12% | 6.34 oz |
| Paraffin (container) | 0.9 | 10% | 6.48 oz |
| Beeswax | 0.95 | 6% | 6.84 oz |
| Gel | 0.85 | 5% | 6.12 oz |
Add fragrance at the temperature the wax maker specifies, usually around 185°F for soy, stir for two minutes so it binds, and pour at the recommended pour temperature. Cure container candles for one to two weeks before test burning; the scent throw at day one is not the scent throw at day ten. Keep a log of wax, load, wick and jar for each batch, since the calculator sizes the batch but the wick test decides whether it burns well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much wax do I need per candle?
Container volume in fluid ounces, times the fill (about 90% to leave headspace), times the wax's weight per fluid ounce, which is about 0.86 oz for soy because wax is lighter than water. An 8 oz jar takes about 6.2 oz of soy wax by weight; twelve jars need 74 oz, a little under 5 lb. Weigh wax, do not scoop it.
How much fragrance oil do I add?
A percentage of the wax weight: 6% is light, 8% is the usual, 10% is strong and the ceiling for most soy and paraffin container waxes. 74 oz of wax at 8% takes 5.9 oz of fragrance. Fragrance is part of the total pour, so the batch is wax plus oil, 80 oz here. Over the wax's limit the oil sweats out of the finished candle.
Why is a 16 oz candle not 16 oz of wax?
Because candle jars are sized by the water they hold and wax weighs less than water, and because a jar is never filled to the rim. A '16 oz' mason jar holds about 12.4 oz of soy at a 90% fill. Label your candles by net wax weight, which is what the calculator gives per candle.
What fill percentage should I use?
Around 90% for straight-sided jars, which leaves half an inch below the rim for the wick and the melt pool. Tins and wide-mouth vessels can go to 95%; tumblers with a tapered top nearer 85%. The calculator applies the fill to the container's brim-full volume.
How much for wax melts?
A standard six-cavity clamshell holds about 2.5 fl oz, so about 1.9 oz of soy wax at a 90% fill and, at a 10% load, 0.19 oz of fragrance; melts take a higher load than candles because there is no wick to burn cleanly. Enter the clamshell as the container and the number of clamshells as the count.
These tools use the standard craft-room rules (resin volume by area and depth, quilt overhang and width-of-fabric piecing, yards per square inch by yarn weight, wax weight per fluid ounce, gauge ratios), all stated on each page. Materials vary by brand: check your resin's mix ratio, your wax's fragrance limit and your own swatch, and buy a little over.