--- title: "Candle Making Calculator: Wax & Fragrance Oil | Craft Mirth" description: "Wax and fragrance oil for any jar: measure it with water or by size, pick soy, paraffin, coconut or beeswax, set your load and see the cost per candle." url: https://craftmirth.me/ --- # Candle making calculator Measure your jar, choose the wax and fragrance load, and see the wax and oil for each candle, what to buy for the batch and what each candle costs. ## Candle safety - Never leave a burning candle unattended: blow out every candle when you leave the room or go to bed, and avoid candles where people may fall asleep. - Keep candles at least 1 foot (30 cm) from anything that can burn. - Use sturdy holders that won't tip over, on a sturdy, uncluttered surface. - Keep hair and loose clothing away from the flame when you light it. - Put a candle out before it burns down too close to its holder or container. - Never leave a child alone in a room with a burning candle, and keep matches and lighters up high, out of children's reach. - Never use a candle if oxygen is used in the home, and use flashlights rather than candles in a power cut. - Making candles: check each fragrance oil's safety data sheet from its supplier, including its flash point, and for wicks, test-burn and follow your wick supplier's chart. Safety tips from the US National Fire Protection Association's [candle safety tip sheet](https://content.nfpa.org/-/media/Project/Storefront/Catalog/Files/Safety-tip-sheets/CandleSafetyTips.pdf). ## How the sums work A container holds a set volume. Multiply it by the density of solid wax and you have the weight of wax and oil that fills it: an 8 fl oz (237 ml) jar of soy wax at 0.90 g/ml takes about 213 g. That blend is then split by your fragrance load. At 8% of the wax weight, wax is 213 ÷ 1.08 = 197 g and fragrance oil the other 16 g. Times eight candles, plus your extra, gives the amounts to buy. The calculator uses the density of solid wax because that is what fills the jar in the end. Melted wax takes up more room and shrinks as it sets, which is why some candles need a top-up pour. ## Measuring a container The water test works for any shape: fill the empty container with water to where the wax will stop, then pour the water into a measuring jug or weigh it. One gram of water is one millilitre, close enough for candles. For straight-sided jars you can measure instead: the volume of a round jar is π × (inside diameter ÷ 2)² × fill height, and of a box, length × width × fill height. ## Wax densities and fragrance limits Each wax choice fills in a density and a fragrance ceiling from a maker's published sheet. They are starting points: your own wax's data sheet always wins, so type its figures over ours. - **Soy container wax:** 0.90 g/ml (AAK gives 0.89–0.92 g/ml for Golden Wax 464); fragrance up to 10–12% on Kerax's KeraSoy Container sheet. - **Paraffin container blend:** 0.927 g/ml (IGI 1260A paraffin); fragrance up to 10% by weight on IGI's Parafflex 4630A sheet. - **Coconut–soy blend:** fragrance up to 10–12% on Kerax's KW4135 sheet. We found no published density for coconut blends, so the soy figure stands in. - **Beeswax:** about 0.95 g/ml (FAO/WHO JECFA). No fragrance ceiling is published for plain beeswax. To find the real density of your own wax, weigh a finished test candle, take away the weight of the empty jar, and divide by the weight of water the jar holds to the same line. ## Sources - AAK Sweden AB, [Golden Wax 464 safety data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0578/6045/6639/files/GOLDEN_WAX_464_SDS_EU.pdf) (19 June 2023), section 9: relative density 0.89–0.92 g/ml at 25 °C. - Kerax Ltd, [KeraSoy Container technical data sheet](https://www.cosyowl.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/kerax-4130-kerasoy-container_TDS.pdf) (version 1.0, 2017): fragrance at levels up to 10–12%; leave candles 48 hours before test burning; test every combination of container, wax, dye, fragrance and wick. - Kerax Ltd, [KW4135 coconut and soy container wax technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0955/9850/files/KW_4135v02_-_TDS.pdf) (version 2.0, 2020): fragrance at levels up to 10–12%. - The International Group, Inc. (IGI), [Parafflex 4630A product information sheet](https://dpoy1j4zladj1.cloudfront.net/IGI-4630-Product-Info.pdf): fragrance oil retention of up to 10% by weight; and [IGI 1260A paraffin data sheet](https://igiwax.com/app/uploads/2024/11/IGI-1260A.pdf): specific gravity 0.927 at 25 °C. - FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), [Beeswax: Chemical and Technical Assessment](https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/agns/pdf/jecfa/cta/65/beeswax.pdf) (65th meeting, 2005): a specific gravity of about 0.95. - National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), [Candle safety tip sheet](https://content.nfpa.org/-/media/Project/Storefront/Catalog/Files/Safety-tip-sheets/CandleSafetyTips.pdf) and [candle safety page](https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety/candles). ## More craft calculators Each one shows its working and names its sources. - [Epoxy resin calculator](https://craftmirth.me/epoxy-resin-calculator/): Trays, coasters and moulds in layers: resin and hardener by volume or weight at your product's own ratio. - [Plaster mix calculator](https://craftmirth.me/plaster-mix-calculator/): Plaster and water by weight for any mould, from USG's published mixing ratios, with set times. - [Macramé cord calculator](https://craftmirth.me/macrame-cord-calculator/): How long to cut each cord and how much to buy, from a rule of thumb you can adjust. - [Balloon garland calculator](https://craftmirth.me/balloon-garland-calculator/): Balloons by size and colour for any length of garland, with a printable shopping list. - [Craft project planner](https://craftmirth.me/craft-project-planner/): A project card with materials from any calculator, steps and drying timers, saved in your browser. ## Recommended Two free services that come in handy when you shop and download for your crafts. Disposable email · no sign-up ### CleanTempMail Free pattern downloads, printable labels and supplier discount codes often want an email address first. CleanTempMail gives you a temporary inbox straight away: no sign-up, a random or custom address on hundreds of domains, and messages deleted automatically after 3 days. [Open a temporary inbox](https://cleantempmail.com/) Disposable cloud browser · free domain lookup ### WebTraceCheck Spotted wax, moulds or a resin kit at a surprising price in a shop you have never heard of? WebTraceCheck's free DNS and domain lookup shows the details behind a shop's web address, and its disposable cloud browser opens the link on an isolated desktop that is deleted after each session. [Try WebTraceCheck](https://webtracecheck.com/) ## Questions **Is the fragrance load a share of the wax or of the whole candle?** Both are in use, and data sheets rarely say which, so the calculator lets you choose. As a share of the wax, 8% means 8 g of oil for every 100 g of wax. As a share of the whole blend, it means 8 g in every 100 g of wax and oil together, which is slightly more oil. One ounce of oil per pound of wax is 6.25% of the wax weight. **Why measure with water instead of using the jar's stated size?** Because you rarely fill a jar to the brim. Filling it with water to your own fill line measures the space the wax will really take, whatever the jar's shape. Weighing the water is the easiest way: 1 g of water is 1 ml. **Why does my finished candle weigh a little more or less?** Densities vary between waxes, blends and batches, and wax shrinks as it sets, so a jar may take a top-up. Weigh one finished test candle, subtract the empty jar, and divide by the water it holds: that is your own wax's density, ready to type into the calculator. **Which wick size should I use?** This site does not suggest wick sizes. The right wick depends on the wax, fragrance, dye and container together, so test-burn a candle and follow your wick supplier's chart. **Can I add more fragrance for a stronger scent?** Stay at or below the maximum on your own wax's data sheet. The calculator flags a load above the ceiling you set. Check each fragrance oil's safety data sheet from its supplier too, including its flash point.