Candle Wax Calculator
Estimate wax weight, fragrance oil weight, combined fill weight, and fill volume for one container candle from jar size, fill level, wax density, and fragrance load.
Candle Inputs
One-container pouring estimate
Candle Fill Summary
Wax weight
180.0 g
6.35 oz to melt
Fragrance weight
14.4 g
0.51 oz of fragrance oil
Combined fill weight
194.4 g
6.86 oz
Fill volume
216.0 ml
7.30 fl oz
Wax density
0.900 g/ml
240.0 ml container
Load basis
8.0%
Load % based on wax weight
Current Calculation
Fill volume = container volume x fill level
240.0 ml x 90.0% = 216.0 ml
Target fill weight = fill volume x wax density
216.0 ml x 0.900 g/ml = 194.4 g
Wax = target fill weight / (1 + load); fragrance = target fill weight - wax
194.4 g / (1 + 0.080) = 180.0 g wax, leaving 14.4 g fragrance.
Breakdown
Use Scenarios
First test jar planning
Start with a known vessel, headspace target, and wax density when you want a faster first-pour estimate before committing fragrance and wick tests.
Switching wax blends
Change only density and fragrance load when you are moving the same container from soy to paraffin or coconut blends and want a cleaner starting batch.
Recipe-sheet cross-checking
Use the wax-only toggle to check whether a supplier worksheet treats fragrance as a percentage of wax or as a percentage of the total batch weight.
Formula Explanation
1) Fill volume
Fill volume = container volume x fill level
The container size is reduced by the fill percentage first, so the page estimates only the space you actually plan to pour rather than the full jar capacity.
2) Convert volume to target fill weight
Target fill weight = fill volume x wax density
Wax density converts the chosen fill volume into a weight-based target. That weight is the starting point for the final wax and fragrance split.
3) If load is based on wax only
Wax = target / (1 + load), fragrance = target - wax
This preserves the combined fill weight at the chosen jar target instead of adding fragrance on top of the target and overestimating the final pour.
4) If load is based on total batch
Fragrance = target x load, wax = target - fragrance
Use this only when your worksheet defines fragrance as part of the total batch weight. The page keeps both conventions visible so recipes can be checked against supplier notes.
How to Read the Result
Wax weight
This is the amount of wax to weigh out for one container at the current fill line and fragrance convention.
Fragrance weight
This is the fragrance oil amount to weigh separately before combining it with the melted wax at the stage recommended by your supplier.
Combined fill weight
Wax plus fragrance returns the target fill weight for the selected jar, which makes it the best quick check against your chosen headspace and density assumptions.
Example Cases
Case 1: 240 ml soy test jar
Inputs
- Container: 240.0 ml
- Fill level: 90.0%
- Density: 0.900 g/ml
- Load: 8.0% (wax only)
Computed Results
- Wax: 180.0 g
- Fragrance: 14.4 g
- Combined fill: 194.4 g
- Fill volume: 216.0 ml
Interpretation
This is a clean soy-style starting point for a common test vessel, with the fragrance percentage applied to wax weight instead of the whole batch.
Decision Hint
Use a case like this when you want a baseline jar that matches the way most supplier fragrance-load examples are written.
Case 2: 8 fl oz paraffin tumbler
Inputs
- Container: 8.00 fl oz
- Fill level: 88.0%
- Density: 0.910 g/ml
- Load: 9.0% (wax only)
Computed Results
- Wax: 173.8 g
- Fragrance: 15.6 g
- Combined fill: 189.5 g
- Fill volume: 208.2 ml
Interpretation
Compared with the soy example, the higher density and slightly stronger load move more total grams into a similar jar size without changing the weight-first convention.
Decision Hint
Choose a case like this when you want to compare one vessel across different wax families while still preserving a realistic headspace.
Case 3: Coconut blend total-batch worksheet
Inputs
- Container: 10.00 fl oz
- Fill level: 90.0%
- Density: 0.860 g/ml
- Load: 8.0% (total batch)
Computed Results
- Wax: 210.6 g
- Fragrance: 18.3 g
- Combined fill: 228.9 g
- Fill volume: 266.2 ml
Interpretation
This version shows what happens when a private worksheet defines fragrance as part of the total fill weight instead of a percent of wax.
Decision Hint
Use this convention only when your own production sheet is written that way, otherwise the wax-only mode will usually match supplier guidance more closely.
Boundary Conditions
Sources & References
- The Flaming Candle Help Center - What does the maximum fragrance load mean?Used for the distinction between a wax-specific maximum load and the percentage you actually choose to test, which supports the page's supplier-limit warnings.
- The Flaming Candle - Fragrance Oil Use CalculatorUsed for the simple weight-based fragrance formula and for keeping the page's explanation grounded in grams-of-wax x fragrance-load math.
- CandleScience - Golden Brands 464 Soy WaxUsed as a concrete supplier example of a soy container wax with a common 10% maximum fragrance-load guideline, which helps anchor the page's test-first recommendations.
- CandleScience - IGI 6046 Coconut Paraffin Blend Candle WaxUsed as a second supplier example showing that some container blends recommend lower working fragrance ranges than a 10% soy benchmark, so load recommendations should not be treated as one-size-fits-all.
- Armatage Candle Company - Specific Gravity: Advanced Candle MathUsed for the specific-gravity concept behind converting a measured jar volume into a wax-weight estimate, which supports the density section and the page's ml-to-grams assumption.
- Candle Jar - Candle Fragrance Load CalculatorKept only as a supplementary explanatory reference because it shows the wax-only formula that preserves a fixed target fill weight instead of mechanically adding fragrance on top of the fill target.