Free Candle Making Calculator
Get your ratios right — wax, fragrance, and wick, measured, not guessed.
I · Choose your wax
II · Container details
Measure across the inside at the top and enter the exact number — your caliper's figure, not a range. Wick size is read off your real diameter.
Standard pour fills to just below the lid stop — the lip the lid seats against — so the wax never touches the lid and the flame starts life sheltered below the rim. On a jar, that's just below the threads. A brim-full number overfills the candle; our own first test pour proved it at the bench.
III · Fragrance intensity
IV · How many candles?
Wax reference, by type
Fill factor and max fragrance load vary by wax — a flat 0.86 or flat 8% doesn't hold across all five. Here's what each one actually takes. Batch results also apply the standard fill level (94% of capacity) on top of the fill factor, so the numbers land at a real pour line — on our own 8 oz tin, that lands at 6.47 oz of total fill, right at the lid stop, poured and weighed at our bench. Fragrance is split out of that fill, never added on top of it.
Table values are typical ranges, not guarantees — max fragrance load is product-dependent and varies by specific wax. Your wax supplier's spec sheet takes priority: if it lists 8–10% and the table says 12%, use 8–10%. Always check your specific fragrance oil's IFRA-compliant max usage rate too, which can be lower than your wax's general limit depending on the scent's ingredients. Reference points: CandleScience lists up to 10% fragrance load for soy waxes (SimplySoy lab notes) and advises staying at or under 10% even when a wax claims more; Lone Star Candle Supply lists 9–11% max load for Golden Brands 444 soy (wax specs) and 8–10% for IGI 4633 paraffin blend (wax specs). For wick starting points by jar diameter, see Lone Star's guide to wicking.
Show the math: one worked batch
Every number below follows this calculator's exact formulas — run the same inputs and you'll get the same results.
Assumptions: fragrance load is a percentage of wax weight, and the container's fill is split between the two — wax + fragrance together land on the fill line, because fragrance stacked on top of a full wax fill is how a candle ends up over-filled and over-scented (our own bench proved that one too). Container capacity in fluid ounces converts to total fill weight via the fill factor, at the standard fill level of 94% of brim unless you choose brim — a candle is poured to a fill line (just below the lid stop on a tin, just below the threads on a jar), not the rim; intensity scales the wax's max load (Unscented 0%, Light 55%, Medium 80%, Strong 100%); wick size follows your exact measured inside diameter. Always test-burn before a full production batch.
Candle making FAQ
How much fragrance oil do I actually use?
It depends on your wax, not a flat 6–10% rule. Soy and coconut typically max around 10%, paraffin can take up to 12%, and beeswax should generally stay under 6% since it already carries its own natural scent and binds fragrance less readily. Beyond that, your specific fragrance oil's IFRA usage limit can cap you lower than your wax's max — always check the supplier's data sheet, since two "vanilla" oils from different brands can have very different safe limits.
Why did my candle seep oil or smell weak even under the max load?
Seeping usually means the fragrance load was too high for that specific oil's density, not just over a generic wax percentage — heavier oils (like vanillas and some woods) seep at lower percentages than light florals or citrus. Weak throw with normal load is more often a wick or cure problem: an undersized wick won't create enough melt pool to release scent, and most soy/coconut candles need a full 1–2 weeks of cure before they throw properly — testing at 48 hours will always underrate a candle's real performance.
What's the actual difference between CD, ECO, and HTP wicks?
These are different wick families, not interchangeable sizes of the same thing. CD (cored, braided) wicks are the most common all-purpose choice for soy and blends. ECO wicks are flatter and tend to run a bit cooler, often preferred for 100% soy for a cleaner burn. HTP (high-throw-power) wicks are built for stronger hot throw and are common in paraffin and heavily-fragranced candles. A "CD-16" and an "ECO-16" are not the same wick — always match the family to what your wax type and supplier recommend, not just the number.
What is flash point, and why does it matter for pour temperature?
Flash point is the temperature at which a fragrance oil's vapors can ignite — and it's also roughly the temperature above which the scent starts evaporating out of your wax before it ever sets. Adding fragrance above a wax's recommended add-temperature range doesn't just risk safety, it quietly burns off scent you paid for, which is a common hidden cause of "why is my hot throw so weak" that has nothing to do with your fragrance load percentage.
Cold throw vs. hot throw — what's actually going on?
Cold throw is what you smell from the unlit wax at room temperature; hot throw is what fills the room while it's burning. They rely on different mechanisms — cold throw is mostly the fragrance oil sitting near the wax's surface, while hot throw depends on your wick creating a full, hot melt pool that vaporizes fragrance molecules into the air. A candle can have strong cold throw and weak hot throw if the wick is undersized for the jar, even with a correct fragrance load.
How long should I actually cure candles before judging them?
Soy: minimum 48 hours, but 1–2 weeks for a fair scent-throw test. Coconut: similar to soy, often benefiting from the full 2 weeks. Paraffin: cures fastest, usually fine at 24–48 hours. Beeswax: slowest, often wants close to 2 weeks. Judging a candle's throw before its wax type's real cure window is the single most common reason people think a fragrance oil is "weak" when it just hasn't finished binding yet.
Go deeper
Full guides on the details this calculator doesn't cover.
How long will it burn?
Estimate burn time from wax weight, wax type, and wick count.
I · Wax type
7 hr/oz
6.5 hr/oz
6 hr/oz
5.5 hr/oz
4.5 hr/oz
II · Wax weight in the finished candle
III · Number of wicks
−15%
−25%
Price it to actually profit.
Material costs, labor, and overhead — not just "double the wax cost."
I · Material costs per candle
II · Labor & overhead
III · Target profit margin
Wax melts & tarts.
Melts take more fragrance than container candles — here's how much.
I · Wax type
up to 12%
up to 15%
up to 12%
up to 10%
II · Batch size
III · Scent strength
Get the color right, every batch.
Wax looks darker liquid than it sets — dial in the amount before you pour.
I · Wax weight
II · Dye type
drops
oz
oz
III · Desired color depth
Pastel
Medium
Deep
Vibrant
When's it safe to move?
Too early causes sinkholes and shifted wicks. Too late in a cold room causes wet spots and cracking.
I · Wax type
Soy — slow set
Paraffin — fast set
Beeswax — very slow
Coconut — soft set
Blend — medium
II · Container material
Glass
Metal tin
Silicone
III · Room temperature
Under 65°F
65–75°F
Over 75°F
Build your own blend.
Parasoy, cocosoy, or any custom mix — get exact ounces of each wax.
I · Total batch weight
II · Your blend (percentages should total 100%)
Blend a scent like a perfumer.
Top, middle, and base notes — balanced so the scent evolves as the candle burns.
I · Total fragrance oil for your batch
II · Your blend (percentages should total 100)
Room & linen spray.
Sprays run a higher fragrance load than candles — here's the right ratio.
I · Batch details
II · Fragrance load
III · Carrier base
When does this become a business?
How many candles you need to sell each month to cover your fixed costs.
I · Monthly fixed costs
II · Per-candle economics