Making candles gets a lot easier once you know the quick way to calculate how much wax and fragrance oil you need. Here’s the simple shortcut method most makers use.
The Shortcut Method
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Fill your jar with water to the level you want your candle.
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Weigh the water (grams).
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Multiply that weight by 0.86 if you’re using soy wax (or 0.87 for paraffin).
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Multiply the result by your fragrance percentage.
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The rest is wax.
Example: 8% Fragrance Load
Let’s say your jar holds 200 g of water.
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Step 1: 200 g × 0.86 = 172 g (total candle mix: wax + fragrance)
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Step 2: 172 g × 0.08 = 13.8 g fragrance oil
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Step 3: 172 g – 13.8 g = 158.2 g wax
👉 For this jar, you’ll need 158 g of wax and 14 g of fragrance oil (rounded).
Quick Tips
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Always measure in grams with a digital scale.
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Stick to 6–10% fragrance load—8% is a great middle ground for soy wax.
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Don’t go over the maximum load recommended by your wax supplier.
Final Word
That’s it—just five steps and you’ll always know the right amount of wax and fragrance oil for your jars. Once you try it, you’ll see how quick and easy it is to repeat for any size container.
Ready to start making candles? Our Candle Making Starter Kit has everything included - wax, wicks, fragrance oil, tins and tools.
