Soy Wax Calculator: How Much Wax and Fragrance Oil per Candle
A free soy wax calculator: enter your container size, number of candles, and fragrance load, and get the exact weight of wax and fragrance oil to weigh out. Plus a chart for common jar sizes and where the 0.86 ratio comes from.
Updated: 4 min read
The question we get most from people starting out is: how much wax do I buy, and how much do I weigh out for one jar? The calculator below answers that in seconds. Further down we explain where the numbers come from, so you can check the result without it.
Soy wax calculator
Enter the container capacity (to the fill line), how many candles you are making, and the fragrance load. The result is how much wax and fragrance oil to weigh out.
- Wax per candle
- 7.2 oz
- Fragrance per candle
- 0.6 oz
- Total wax
- 29 oz
- Total fragrance
- 2.3 oz
- Total batch (wax + fragrance)
- 31 oz
Assumes a fill line about half an inch below the rim. Always weigh wax and fragrance, never measure by volume.
How this calculator works
Soy wax is lighter than water. A container that holds 8 fl oz of water (about 8.3 oz by weight) holds roughly 7.2 oz of set soy wax. That is where the 0.86 ratio comes from: it is the number most wax suppliers use, and it holds up in practice for container soy waxes and soy-coconut blends alike.
- Fill the container with water to the line you want the wax to reach (usually about half an inch below the rim) and weigh the water. 1 fl oz of water weighs 1.04 oz; 1 ml weighs 1 g.
- Multiply the water weight by 0.86. That is the wax weight for one container.
- Multiply the wax weight by your fragrance percentage (0.08 for 8%). That is the fragrance weight.
- Multiply both by the number of candles. Add 5-10% to cover what stays on the walls of the pitcher.
Chart: soy wax for common container sizes
| Container | Water to fill line | Wax (×0.86) | Fragrance 6% | Fragrance 8% | Fragrance 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 oz tin | 1.8 fl oz | 1.6 oz (46 g) | 0.1 oz (3 g) | 0.13 oz (4 g) | 0.16 oz (5 g) |
| 4 oz jelly jar | 3.7 fl oz | 3.3 oz (94 g) | 0.2 oz (6 g) | 0.26 oz (8 g) | 0.33 oz (9 g) |
| 8 oz jelly / straight jar | 7.4 fl oz | 6.6 oz (188 g) | 0.4 oz (11 g) | 0.53 oz (15 g) | 0.66 oz (19 g) |
| 9 oz straight-sided jar | 8.3 fl oz | 7.4 oz (211 g) | 0.45 oz (13 g) | 0.6 oz (17 g) | 0.74 oz (21 g) |
| 12 oz status jar | 11 fl oz | 9.8 oz (279 g) | 0.6 oz (17 g) | 0.79 oz (22 g) | 0.98 oz (28 g) |
| 16 oz mason jar | 14.8 fl oz | 13.2 oz (375 g) | 0.8 oz (23 g) | 1.06 oz (30 g) | 1.32 oz (38 g) |
| 3-wick 14 oz tumbler | 12.9 fl oz | 11.5 oz (327 g) | 0.7 oz (20 g) | 0.92 oz (26 g) | 1.15 oz (33 g) |
How much soy wax for 12 candles
Example: twelve 8 oz jars. Wax: 12 × 6.6 oz = 79 oz, or just under 5 lb. Fragrance at 8%: 12 × 0.53 oz = 6.4 oz. With a 5% margin you buy about 5.2 lb of wax and 7 oz of fragrance oil. A standard 10 lb bag of wax therefore makes about 24 such candles; a 1 lb sample bag makes two.
When 0.86 is not the right number
- Pillar and mold candles (no container): pillar wax is denser and molds are usually filled to the top. Use mold volume × 0.9.
- Coconut wax and coconut blends: closer to 0.88-0.9.
- Beeswax: about 0.95, because it is noticeably heavier.
- Narrow-necked containers (bottles, small pitchers): measure water only to the height you will actually fill, or the result will be too high.
The calculator is only the beginning
Wax weight is one variable. Whether the candle smells good and burns evenly also depends on the temperature you add fragrance at, the pour temperature, and the wick. All the ratios in one place are in our soy candle wax ratio guide, and the whole process is in how to make soy candles.
Frequently asked questions
How much soy wax do I need for an 8 oz candle?
About 6.6 oz (188 g) of wax if you fill half an inch below the rim (roughly 7.4 fl oz of water × 0.86). Add 0.4 to 0.66 oz of fragrance oil depending on whether you use 6, 8, or 10%.
How many candles does 1 lb of soy wax make?
About two 8 oz candles, or four 4 oz candles. A 10 lb bag makes roughly 24 candles in 8 oz jars. Use the calculator above for your exact jar.
Is 1 lb of soy wax the same as 16 fl oz?
No. A pound of melted soy wax is about 18.5 fl oz, and slightly more once set. That is why wax is always weighed and containers are measured with water and converted with the 0.86 ratio.
Do I calculate fragrance from the wax weight or the total weight?
From the wax weight. 10% fragrance with 1 lb of wax is 1.6 oz of oil. Calculating from the total under-doses the fragrance and makes it hard to compare with manufacturer recommendations.
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