How much wax do I need?
Before you melt any wax, it pays to know exactly how much you need. Nothing is left in the pitcher, you never run short halfway through pouring, and your fragrance percentage is right — which is the figure that counts for the CLP label.
Calculate it here
Choose how to measure your container. The water method is the most accurate.
Per candle
- Total weight
- –
- Wax
- –
- Fragrance
- –
For the batch
- Total weight
- –
- Wax
- –
- Fragrance
- –
Rounded values. Always confirm with a test candle before production.
1. Measure the capacity with water
- Put the empty container on the scale and press tare (zero).
- Fill with water up to where the wax will sit — usually 1 to 1.5 cm below the rim.
- Read the weight: 1 ml of water weighs 1 g, so the reading is the usable capacity of the container.
- Empty and dry it thoroughly before pouring wax — water ruins the candle.
2. Convert to wax
Wax is lighter than water. Multiply the water weight by the wax factor:
| Vegetable, mineral and blended waxes (soy, rapeseed, coconut, paraffin…) | × 0.86 |
| Beeswax | × 0.96 |
Example: 200 g of water × 0.86 = 172 g of candle (wax + fragrance).
3. Split between wax and fragrance
Work out the fragrance on the total candle weight. This percentage is the one that matches the safety data sheets (5% and 10% SDS) and the CLP label.
- Fragrance = total weight × %
- Wax = total weight − fragrance
Example at 8%: 172 × 0.08 = 13.8 g of fragrance · 172 − 13.8 = 158.2 g of wax.
Some guides calculate the % on the wax weight. The difference is small, but the real percentage in the candle ends up higher than you think — and that is the one that counts for the SDS and the label.
4. No water? Use the measurements
Measure inside, in centimetres, and work out the volume:
- Round: 3.14 × radius × radius × fill height
- Square: side × side × fill height
Example: round jar, 7 cm inner diameter and 7 cm fill → 3.14 × 3.5 × 3.5 × 7 = 269 ml → × 0.86 = 231 g of candle.
With tapered jars, thick bases or irregular shapes, measurements are only an approximation — use the water method instead.
5. For several candles
Multiply by the number of candles and add a 5 to 10% margin: some wax always stays in the pitcher, on the thermometer and in test candles.
Example: 20 candles × 172 g = 3440 g + 5% = 3612 g in total.
Tips to get it right
- Respect the maximum fragrance load of your wax (on its technical data sheet). Most fragrances perform well between 6 and 10%.
- Weigh everything in grams, fragrance included. Measuring in ml leads to errors, because each fragrance has a different density.
- Add the fragrance at the temperature given on the wax data sheet and stir for 1 to 2 minutes.
- On the label, state the net weight of the candle (wax + fragrance), not the weight of the jar.
Keep learning
Indicative values. Densities and loads vary with the wax and fragrance — always make a test candle.