Candle Math

Candle cost calculator

Each candle costs 6.85 to make, with 197.2 g of wax and 15.77 g of fragrance oil. With your markup it sells for 13.69, a profit of 6.85.

Your numbers

The capacity of the jar in US fluid ounces or milliliters.

Sets the specific gravity that turns volume into weight. Pick custom to enter the value from your supplier's data sheet.

%

Oil as a share of the wax weight.

pcs

How many candles one batch makes. Labor and overhead are shared over them.

What you pay for wax, in your own currency, for the weight chosen next to it.

The weight your wax price is for.

What you pay for fragrance oil, for the weight chosen next to it. Enter zero for unscented candles.

The weight your oil price is for.

Cost of one container including its lid.

Cost of one wick with its tab.

Labels, boxes and anything else per candle.

Hands-on time for the whole batch: melting, pouring, wicking and cleaning up.

What an hour of your time is worth. Enter zero to leave your time out.

A share of rent, tools, fees or anything else you charge to the batch.

%

Added on top of the cost per candle to get the price. A hundred percent doubles the cost; zero sells at cost.

Examples
Advanced options
%

Share of the jar volume you fill with wax.

Result

Cost per candle

6.85

Selling price per candle

13.69

Where the cost comes from
Wax1.18
Fragrance oil1.11
Jar or tin1.50
Wick0.25
Label and packaging0.30
Labor2.50
Overhead0.00
Cost per candle6.85
Selling price per candle13.69

How it works

The tool starts from the jar and the wax to find how much wax and oil one candle takes, then prices those weights at what you pay per kilogram, pound, ounce or gram. It adds the jar, wick and packaging for each candle, your working time and the overhead of the batch divided by the number of candles, and adds your chosen markup on top of the total to get a selling price, which makes it a simple candle pricing calculator for a first price list.

Formula

Fill weight M = jar_volume x fill_pct x gravity (soy 900, paraffin 900, beeswax 970 kg/m3 from constants.wax_gravity_kg_m3, or the user's gravity for wax = custom). Wax W = M / (1 + fragrance_load), oil O = W x fragrance_load (load relative to wax). Wax cost per candle = wax_price / (kg in the price unit) x W; oil cost per candle = oil_price / (kg in the price unit) x O, with kg in the price unit from constants.price_unit_in_kg. Labor per candle = labor_time (h) x labor_rate / candles. Overhead per candle = overhead / candles. cost_per_candle = wax + oil + container_cost + wick_cost + packaging_cost + labor + overhead. price = cost_per_candle x (1 + markup), profit = price - cost_per_candle, margin = profit / price, batch_cost = cost_per_candle x candles.

Worked example

The calculator opens with this example; the result above is computed from it.

InputValue
Jar volume8 US fl oz
How full100 %
WaxSoy wax
Fragrance load8 %
Candles in the batch12 pcs
Wax price6
Wax price is perkilogram
Fragrance oil price2
Oil price is perounce
Jar or tin, each1.5
Wick, each0.25
Label and packaging, each0.3
Working time for the batch2 h
Hourly rate15
Overhead for the batch0
Markup on cost100 %
Cost per candle6.85
Selling price per candle13.69

Common cases

CaseStarting valuesCost per candleSelling price per candle
Home batch of twelveJar volume 8 US fl oz; How full 100 %; Fragrance load 8 %; Candles in the batch 12 pcs; Wax price 6; Fragrance oil price 2; Jar or tin, each 1.5; Wick, each 0.25; Label and packaging, each 0.3; Working time for the batch 2 h; Hourly rate 15; Overhead for the batch 0; Markup on cost 100 %6.8513.69
Gift batch, no laborJar volume 9 US fl oz; How full 95 %; Fragrance load 8 %; Candles in the batch 6 pcs; Wax price 3; Fragrance oil price 0.8; Jar or tin, each 1.2; Wick, each 0.2; Label and packaging, each 0.2; Working time for the batch 0 h; Hourly rate 0; Overhead for the batch 0; Markup on cost 100 %3.476.94
Small tins for a market stallJar volume 4 US fl oz; How full 100 %; Fragrance load 6 %; Candles in the batch 24 pcs; Wax price 2.5; Fragrance oil price 1.2; Jar or tin, each 0.6; Wick, each 0.12; Label and packaging, each 0.25; Working time for the batch 3 h; Hourly rate 12; Overhead for the batch 10; Markup on cost 150 %3.709.24
Beeswax candlesJar volume 6 US fl oz; How full 100 %; Fragrance load 3 %; Candles in the batch 8 pcs; Wax price 18; Fragrance oil price 0; Jar or tin, each 1.4; Wick, each 0.3; Label and packaging, each 0.4; Working time for the batch 2.5 h; Hourly rate 14; Overhead for the batch 0; Markup on cost 200 %9.4828.45

Assumptions and limits

  • Only the costs you enter are counted. Wax left in the pot, failed candles, fees and shipping are not included unless you put them in overhead.
  • The wax figures are typical values from the sources named on this page. Brands differ, so use your supplier's number for an exact weight.
  • The wax amount is exactly what fills the jar. Add what you lose in the pot through the overhead line.
  • The markup is yours to choose; the tool does not recommend a price.
  • Money is a plain number in whatever currency you use. Nothing is converted.

The result is an estimate for planning, not professional advice.

Sources

Last updated:

Method in depth: Cost per candle: from weights and prices to a selling price

Cite this page: Candle Math, “Candle cost calculator”, https://candle-math.pages.dev/fragrance-and-cost/candle-cost-calculator/ (updated 12 October 2026).

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