Candle wax calculator
How much wax and fragrance oil does your batch need? Enter your candle count, fill weight and fragrance load — get the exact weights to melt and measure, waste buffer included.
Number of candles
Fill weight per candle (oz)
Fragrance load (%)
Waste buffer (%)
Fill weight is the finished candle's wax + oil by weight — an "8 oz" container candle typically holds about 8 oz of fill. Fragrance load here is a percent of the total fill; the result panel shows the oz-per-pound equivalent if that's how you measure. A 10% buffer covers overpour and the wax that stays in the pitcher.
Your batch
Know what the batch costs, not just weighs
Hivara turns this same recipe into a true cost per candle — wax, oil, wick, vessel and label — and draws your inventory down every time you pour.
Start freeCandle batch math, explained
How much wax do I need per candle?
The candle's fill weight minus its fragrance oil. An 8 oz container candle at a 9% fragrance load uses about 7.3 oz of wax and 0.7 oz of oil. Multiply by your batch size and add ~10% for overpour and the wax that stays in the pouring pitcher.
How is fragrance load calculated?
Two conventions exist: percent of the total fill (this calculator), and ounces of oil per pound of wax. They're convertible — a 9% total-fill load equals about 1.58 oz of oil per pound of wax. Whichever you use, stay consistent and check your wax's maximum load rating.
What fragrance load should I use?
Most container waxes perform between 6% and 10%; many makers land at 8–9% for a strong hot throw. More oil isn't automatically more scent — past the wax's rated maximum it can cause sweating, poor burns and adhesion problems. Test burn every new combination.
How many candles will 10 lb of wax make?
10 lb is 160 oz of wax. At an 8 oz fill with 9% fragrance, each candle uses about 7.3 oz of wax — so roughly 21 candles, or about 19 after a 10% waste buffer. Run your own numbers above for your fill weight and load.
Should I measure wax and fragrance by weight or volume?
Always by weight. Wax flakes settle, melted wax expands, and fragrance oil densities vary — a scale is the only way a 9% load is actually 9%. Weigh the oil separately before it goes into the melted wax.
Also useful: the free candle pricing calculator for what the batch costs and earns — and see how Hivara runs a whole candle business.
Pour the batch, and let the inventory follow
Hivara stores this as your candle's recipe — every pour draws down wax, oil, wicks and jars automatically, and shows your true cost per candle.
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