Candle Wax and Fragrance Calculator
Enter your container and wax. We work out exactly how much wax and fragrance oil to weigh out, per candle and for the whole batch, plus burn time, a wick starting point and your cost per candle.
How the calculator works
- Container capacity: how much water your jar holds when full. Use the fluid ounces on the label, or fill it with water and weigh it for the most accurate number.
- Wax weight: melted wax weighs less than water (about 0.86 g per gram of water for soy), and you'll stop below the rim, so the pour is a bit less than the jar's capacity.
- Fragrance oil: measured as a percentage of the wax weight. We split the total pour into wax plus fragrance so the candle still fills to the same line.
Jar size charts: 4 oz · 6 oz · 8 oz · 9 oz · 10 oz · 12 oz · 14 oz · 16 oz. Also see the fragrance oil per pound of wax chart and the wick size chart.
Frequently asked questions
How much wax do I need for my candle?
Fill the empty container with water and weigh the water (or use its fluid-ounce capacity). Melted wax is lighter than water, so multiply by about 0.86 for soy wax. Then take off a little if you won't fill to the brim. A 9 fl oz jar filled to half an inch below the rim holds roughly 7.3 oz of wax and fragrance combined.
How do I calculate fragrance load?
Fragrance load is the fragrance oil's weight as a percentage of the wax weight. At 8%, 16 oz of wax takes 1.28 oz of fragrance oil. Most container soy waxes accept up to 10–12%; check your wax's data sheet.
Should I measure wax and fragrance by weight or volume?
Always by weight. Wax flakes, melted wax and fragrance oils all have different densities, so cups and spoons give inconsistent results. A kitchen scale that reads in grams works well.
How long will my candle burn?
As a rough guide, soy and coconut waxes burn about 7–9 hours per ounce of wax, paraffin about 5–7. The wick size matters as much as the wax: an oversized wick burns faster and hotter.