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Category Cooking Calculators

Input Method

Container Shape

Units

Diameter Inner diameter

Height Fill height (not jar height)

Length

Width

Height

Wax Weight per Candle

Wax Type

Fragrance Load (%)

Max for selected wax: 10%

Dye per Candle (g) Liquid dye or dye block weight

Number of Candles

Waste Factor (%) Extra for pot residue

Presets

Configure your candle and press Calculate

Per Candle

Container Volume —

Wax Weight —

Fragrance Oil —

Dye —

Total per Candle —

Batch Total (1 candles + 5% waste)

Total Wax —

Total Fragrance Oil —

Total Dye —

Grand Total —

Wick Suggestion

—

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About

Incorrect wax-to-fragrance ratios cause cold throw failure, tunneling, and fragrance oil seepage. A 1% miscalculation in fragrance load across a 50-candle batch wastes material and produces candles that either smell faint or sweat oil. This calculator uses volumetric displacement with wax-specific densities (e.g., soy 0.90 g/cm³, paraffin 0.93 g/cm³) to compute exact fill weight W, then derives fragrance oil mass F from industry-standard percentage-of-total formulas rather than the commonly misapplied percentage-of-wax method. Shrinkage compensation is applied per wax type to prevent sinkholes on the second pour.

The tool assumes room-temperature poured candles and does not account for altitude-related boiling point shifts during melting. Fragrance loads above 12% exceed most wax binder capacities regardless of manufacturer claims. Pro tip: weigh fragrance oil by mass, not volume. Oil density varies from 0.88 to 0.98 g/ml depending on composition.

Formulas

Container volume for a cylinder:

V = π × r² × h

For a rectangular container:

V = l × w × h

Net wax weight with shrinkage compensation:

W = V × ρ × 11 − s

Fragrance oil by percentage of total batch weight:

F = W × p100 − p

Total batch weight per candle:

T = W + F + D

Where V = container volume in cm³, ρ = wax density in g/cm³, s = shrinkage factor (decimal), p = fragrance load percentage, W = net wax weight, F = fragrance oil weight, D = dye weight, T = total batch weight per candle.

Reference Data

Wax Type	Density (g/cm³)	Melt Point (°F)	Max Fragrance Load (%)	Shrinkage (%)	Best For
Soy (464)	0.90	113 - 119	10	6	Containers
Soy (444)	0.90	119 - 125	10	5	Containers
Paraffin (IGI 4630)	0.93	126 - 133	12	3	Containers
Paraffin (IGI 1343)	0.93	139 - 143	10	4	Pillars & votives
Coconut (C-3)	0.91	100 - 107	10	7	Containers
Coconut-Soy Blend	0.91	110 - 120	10	6	Containers
Beeswax (Yellow)	0.96	144 - 149	6	2	Pillars, tapers
Beeswax (White)	0.96	144 - 149	6	2	Containers, pillars
Palm Wax	0.94	140 - 145	8	3	Pillars, crystal effect
Gel Wax (Low)	0.84	170 - 180	5	1	Embeds, clear candles
Gel Wax (High)	0.87	200 - 220	5	1	Dense embeds
Rapeseed Wax	0.89	120 - 128	10	5	Containers, eco line
Parasoy Blend	0.92	125 - 135	11	4	Containers
Microcrystalline	0.93	150 - 195	5	2	Additive, sculpting

Frequently Asked Questions

Industry standard (ASTM and supplier guidelines from CandleScience, NatureWax) defines fragrance load as a fraction of the entire batch - wax plus oil. Calculating on wax weight alone inflates the actual ratio. At a stated 10% load, the wax-only method yields 10g oil per 100g wax (9.09% true load), while the total-weight method yields 11.1g per 100g wax (exactly 10% of 111.1g). This calculator uses the percentage-of-total formula: F = W × p ÷ (100 − p).

All waxes contract as they solidify. Soy wax shrinks approximately 5 - 7% by volume, creating sinkholes and uneven surfaces. The calculator multiplies the base volume by a shrinkage compensation factor of 1 ÷ (1 − s) so you melt enough wax to fill the container after contraction. Without compensation, an 8oz tin filled with soy wax will appear to hold only 7.4 - 7.5oz after cooling.

Exceeding the recommended fragrance load causes oil to pool on the surface (sweating), produces a flickering or drowning wick, and creates a fire hazard. Most soy waxes bind reliably up to 10%; paraffin can hold up to 12%. Beeswax has the lowest capacity at around 6%. This calculator caps input at the wax-specific maximum and displays a warning if you attempt to exceed it.

Shape determines volume calculation only. A cylinder uses V = π × r² × h; a rectangle uses V = l × w × h. Two containers with identical volumes require identical wax weight regardless of shape. However, wick selection depends on the diameter or shortest cross-section, so a wide shallow container burns differently than a narrow tall one.

Yes. If you already know your container's capacity in fluid ounces or the wax weight from a supplier spec sheet, toggle to weight-based input. The calculator bypasses volume computation and uses your stated weight directly, still applying shrinkage compensation and fragrance calculations. This is faster for standard commercial containers like Libbey tumblers or CandleScience tins that publish fill weights.

When producing multiple candles, wax adheres to pouring pots, pitchers, and thermometers. The waste factor (default 5%) adds extra material to the total batch. For 10 candles each requiring 200g wax, the calculator recommends 2100g total rather than 2000g. Adjust the waste factor based on your equipment and experience.