How Much Wax Per Candle Do You Need?

Published by Kevin Fischer on April 28, 2020April 28, 2020

How much wax per candle should you use?

This article will guide you step-by-step through measuring your candle making materials. After all, why bother curating the perfect container if you don’t know how to measure the wax for it?

In this guide, you’ll learn:

Why you should measure wax by weight (not volume)
How to calculate wax per candle

There’s a reference table at the end for estimating too.

Always Measure Wax by Weight

Don’t assume the container’s volume is the amount of wax you need.

For example, a jar that holds 16 ounces of water does need 16 ounces of wax.

This is a common misconception.

Water is denser than wax: it takes up less space than wax.

Think of it like a jar filled with glass marbles.

Those marbles represent water: heavy, though not necessarily that big.

Wax is more like cotton balls – taking up more space with even less weight.

Measuring 16 ounces of wax for a jar that holds 16 ounces of water would be way too much wax!

Specific gravity

Fortunately, we know the relationship between wax and water through a concept called specific gravity. This is just smart-people-talk for describing how much heavier or lighter something is compared to water.

Almost all common candle wax is only 82% – 95% as dense as water. Including paraffin, soy, palm, coconut, beeswax, and just about any other major wax on the market.

The average density is about 86%, meaning candle wax has a specific gravity of 0.86 (if the specific gravity was 1.0 that would mean it was the same as water).

Three reasons to measure all candle supplies by weight (instead of volume):

Wax specifications are based on weight (like how much fragrance oil it can hold, etc)
Fragrance is measured by weight
Measuring weight is easier than measuring volume. You only need a scale.

The "Average Density" Method for Measuring Wax per Candle

Most wax averages to about 86% the density of water, or a specific gravity of 0.86.

More specifically, we know that for every 3.5 ounces of water, about 3.0 ounces of blended wax (wax + fragrance oil) will take up the same space.

Some candle makers or suppliers may have a different conversion for their wax (it varies, after all). 0.86 is merely an average!

Using that assumption, follow these steps for each unique container you’ll pour to calculate the wax per candle.

Make sure to buy a scale before starting.

1. Determine your total fragrance load

This is a percentage, typically between 3% – 12% that you select.

Use 6% if you don’t know where to start.

Select a Fragrance Load (F)

2. Measure the water weight in container

Water is our magical conversion.

Fill the container to your desired height with water. Make sure you subtract the container weight before measuring.
Record in ounces or grams, but not fluid ounces.

3. Find Total Weight for the container

The Total Weight (TW) is the final weight of wax and fragrance in a container.

Multiply the water weight by 0.86 (or use a different specific gravity if you have it).

4. Calculate Wax Weight

Divide the Total Weight by the sum of 1 plus fragrance load.

W = TW ÷ (1 + F)

So if you had a total weight of 100 g and a fragrance load of 6%…

W = 100 ÷ (1 + 0.06)

5. Scale up for each container

The result of step 4 is the wax weight required for a single container.

Multiply W by the total amount of similar containers

Example

In this example, we’ll use 6 identical containers.

Step 1

Select a Fragrance Load (F) of 8%.

Step 2

After measuring one while empty and filled with water, we get:

Empty container weight = 80 g
Filled with water = 180 g
Water weight = 180g – 80g = 100 grams

Step 3

Total weight (TW) = 100 x 0.86
TW = 86 grams

Step 4

1 + F = 1.08
Wax (W) = 86g ÷ 1.08
Wax = 80 grams

Step 5

Since there are 6 containers…

Total Wax = 6 x 80g = 480 grams

So we’ll measure out 480 g of wax for our 6 containers.

How much fragrance oil do you need?

We still need to know how much fragrance oil to use!

You can use two different calculations:

Fragrance Load (F) x Wax Weight
Total Weight – Wax Weight

Using the first method:

Fragrance Oil = 480g x 8% = 38 grams

Using the second method:

Fragrance Oil = TW – Wax
Fragrance Oil = 86g – 80g = 6 grams

Since this is the value for only one candle and we’re making six total…

Fragrance Oil = 6g x 6 containers = 36 grams

You usually get better results when you subtract, but you can read more about properly measuring fragrance oil here.

5-Step Process

Find weight of water in the container
Multiply result by total number of containers
Total Weight: Multiply step 2 by 0.86
Wax: Total Weight ÷ (1 + Fragrance Load)
Fragrance Weight: Total Weight – Wax

Interested in learning more about the basics?

Click here to learn more about the Armatage Candle Company Soy Wax Fundamentals Online Course

Conclusion

It’s a wide world of wax.

Measuring how much you need for your containers isn’t that hard when you understand why weight is used and how to calculate it. As you progress in your candle making skills, accurate measurements make all the difference.

You don’t want to needlessly waste supplies or short your friends, family, or customers with candles that don’t have enough wax in them!

If you’re curious how to measure the fragrance oil, you can visit this article which walks through it in greater detail. Don’t worry, the hard work is over!

If you want to learn more about candle testing to make sure you have the right wick, read the Basic Burn Test post where you can also receive a free PDF template. Learn more about the ASTM standards for candle tests and what factors you should consider for a “safe” candle, even if you’re just burning at home.

If you’re interested in a fill-in-the-blanks digital worksheet you can print off, you can download a free PDF here!

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How Much Wax Per Candle Do You Need?