Candle wax calculator — how much wax and fragrance to buy
Enter your jar volume, wax density, fill level, and fragrance load to see wax grams, FO grams, and how many bags to order before you pour.
Inputs use metric (ml / g) — common on wax and resin labels worldwide. Results also show fl oz / oz.
Results
Fill volume: 180 ml (≈ 6.09 fl oz)
Wax: 154.8 g (≈ 5.46 oz)
Fragrance oil: 12.4 g (≈ 0.44 oz)
Wax + FO: 167.2 g (≈ 5.9 oz)
Bags to buy: 1
Formula
fillVol=vessel×fill%; wax=fillVol×density; FO=wax×load%; bags=ceil(wax÷bag)
Worked steps (check these)
- Fill volume = 200 × 0.9 = 180 ml
- Wax = 180 × 0.86 = 154.8 g
- Fragrance oil = 154.8 × 0.08 = 12.4 g
- Bags to buy = ceil(154.8 ÷ 500) = 1
Shopping estimates only — follow supplier safety notes and brand ratios.
Buying wax by guesswork wastes money or stops a pour mid-batch. Volume × density × fill gives a shopping weight you can round to bag sizes.
Fragrance load is capped by your wax system — the calculator shows the math; your supplier sets the safe ceiling.
How to use
- Measure jar volume in ml (water fill works)
- Set density and fill %
- Set fragrance load % and bag size
- Read wax, FO, and bags to buy
Why this calculator
- Turns jar ml into wax and FO grams
- Optional bag rounding for shopping lists
- Clear formula steps you can double-check
Good for
- First soy container pour
- Scaling from 1 jar to a small batch
- Comparing 6% vs 8% FO cost
Tips
- Weigh wax on a scale — volume alone is not enough for FO.
- Keep FO under the wax’s published max load.
- Add a little extra wax if you plan melt-pool testing cups.
Examples
| Input | Output | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 200 ml jar, density 0.86, fill 90%, FO 8%, 500 g bag | ≈154.8 g wax, ≈12.4 g FO → 1 bag | Matches the default worked example |
| Same jar, FO 10% | More fragrance oil; still check your wax max load | Never exceed supplier max % |
Candle wax FAQ
- What density should I use?
- Soy is often near 0.86 g/ml; paraffin closer to 0.9. Use your brand’s tech sheet when you have it.
- Is fragrance % of wax or of total?
- This tool treats load as % of wax weight (common FO practice). Follow your supplier if they specify otherwise.
- Why leave fill under 100%?
- Headspace for the wick and shrinkage. 85–95% fill is a common starting point for containers.
- Scaling to many jars?
- Copy wax grams into Candle batch scaler.
- Need resin or yarn amounts too?
- See Resin calculator and Yarn calculator in the craft section.