Fragrance Load
Work out the wax and fragrance oil for your pour, or work backwards from fragrance you already have on hand.
Works in ounces or grams — the results come out in whatever unit you type in. Load is figured as a percent of the total pour weight (wax + fragrance combined), matching how wax technical data sheets rate fragrance load — not a percent of the wax alone.
That's the total amount of scented wax this makes. Tell us about the containers you have below and we'll suggest how to mix and match them to use it all up, plus how far it goes with just one size at a time.
Water to Wax
Fill a vessel with water, weigh it, and find out how much wax it takes.
This fills the vessel to the brim — leave a little headspace in real life. These gravities are close averages; your supplier's data sheet is the most accurate number, so use the custom box when you have it.
Temperature
Type in either box to convert.
Weight
Type in any box to convert to the rest.
Color Lab
Pick the colors of the dyes you're using, set the drops, and preview how the blend looks poured in your wax.
Scent Blend Scaler
CandleBrain Tools · Scent Blend Recipe
Untitled Blend
Use the same drop counts from your test strip or small vial. Ratios are preserved when you scale.
This is the total FO weight for your batch (wax weight x fragrance load %). Example: 16 oz wax at 8% load = 1.28 oz FO.
Notes
Wick Picker
Starting-point wick sizing across 12 real, manufacturer-sourced series — pick a vessel diameter, wax, and fragrance load to get a Best Match plus every compatible series.
CandleBrain Tools · Wick Picker
Wick Sizing Worksheet
This is an educational planning tool providing only preliminary starting points for laboratory testing. It cannot account for jar geometry, wick clip neck height, ambient airflow, dye concentration, or the chemistry of any specific fragrance oil.
You MUST independently burn-test and verify every recommendation on this page (e.g. per ASTM F2417) across the candle's full lifespan before commercial production. Do not rely on this printout alone to confirm safety.
This calculator is an educational planning tool designed solely to provide preliminary starting points for laboratory testing. It cannot account for every manufacturing scenario, including custom jar geometry, wick clip neck heights, ambient airflow, dye concentrations, or the complex chemical densities and flashpoints of proprietary fragrance oils.
You MUST independently test and verify any and all recommendations through standardized burn tests (such as ASTM F2417) across the entire lifespan of the candle to confirm vessel safety, proper melt pool depth, and absence of fire hazards before commercial production.
Signs of a Properly Wicked Candle
What to look for during your own burn test (sourced from CandleScience's burn-testing guidance):
- The flame is approximately 1" (2.5 cm) tall, and not flickering excessively
- Wax melts across the top of the container from edge to edge
- The melt pool is 1/4" – 3/4" (6-19 mm) deep
- Wax burns cleanly at the flame, without smoke or soot
- After burning from top to bottom, the wax is completely consumed and the sides are left clean
Troubleshooting Your Burn Test
Common issues and what to check before assuming you need a different wick size (sourced from CandleScience):
Diameter Baseline Reference
| Vessel Diameter | Category | Baseline Sizes |
|---|
Wick Series Directory
Candle Cost & MSRP Suite
Calculate your unit production cost and project retail prices across 4 distinct methodologies.
This worksheet is a planning tool based on the numbers you entered. It is not accounting, tax, or legal advice. Confirm your actual material costs, platform fees, and shipping rates, and consult a qualified professional before setting final prices or filing taxes.
This baseline cost dynamically updates all retail markup and wholesale pricing formulas below.
Keystone / Wholesale
RecommendedCost × 2 wholesale × 2 retail
Best if you sell wholesale to shops, or want room to run retail promotions without losing money.
Target Gross Margin
RecommendedCost / (1 − Desired Margin %)
Best for keeping a steady take-home percentage on every sale to cover rent, software, and insurance.
Fixed Multipliers
RecommendedDirect multiple benchmarks
Best for a fast, at-a-glance price at a craft fair or market table — the 3× row is the common starting point.
DTC E-Commerce
RecommendedCost + CAC + Shipping + Net Profit + Fees
Best for an online-only shop running paid ads on Shopify, Etsy, or TikTok Shop — bakes in ad spend and shipping.
How This Works & When to Use Each Method
1. Keystone / Wholesale
Formula: Unit Cost × 2 = Wholesale; Wholesale × 2 = MSRP (4× markup overall).
Why it works: Boutiques and gift shops expect 50% off your MSRP. This model guarantees you still pocket a 50% margin on wholesale orders, and a 75% margin direct-to-consumer.
When to use: Mandatory if you plan to sell through physical retailers or want margin room for retail promos.
2. Target Gross Margin
Formula: Cost / (1 − Desired Margin %). For a 75% margin: Cost / 0.25.
Why it works: Rather than multiplying costs, this locks in the percentage of every sale dollar you keep to cover overhead (studio rent, software, insurance).
When to use: Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brands with fixed operational overhead wanting steady profitability.
3. Fixed Multipliers
Formula: Direct multipliers (2×, 3×, 4×, or 5×).
Why it works: Benchmark market positioning instantly: 2× is the wholesale benchmark price (50% margin); 3× covers high-volume craft fairs; 4× is the established indie boutique standard; 5× is a luxury tier for a heavy vessel or custom box.
When to use: Quick competitive benchmarking against other candle brands.
4. DTC E-Commerce Model
Formula: (Cost + Ad CAC + Shipping Buffer + Desired Net Cash + $0.30 fixed fee) / (1 − Processing Fee %).
Why it works: Absorbs the real hidden costs of shipping heavy glass, running Meta/TikTok ads, and payment platform commissions, guaranteeing net cash in hand.
When to use: Online-first brands selling via Shopify, Etsy, or TikTok Shop using paid ads.
Batch Calculator
Work out exactly how much wax, fragrance, and additives a batch needs — by candle count, by target batch weight, or from material you already have.
This is the finished product weight you want, before production loss/overage is applied (Step 3).
Tells you how much finished product (and how many candles) your on-hand wax can produce — production loss (Step 3) reduces the usable amount; overage doesn't apply in this direction, since you're finding the max you can make, not padding a target.
Enter your own formulation values — these are not universal recommendations. "% of wax" and "% of total batch" are different bases and are never silently mixed.
Loss is material wasted in production (spills, trimmed wicks, failed pours) — it means you need to start with more to end up with your target. Overage is deliberately making extra finished product as a buffer. Applied together as one chain, never double-counted: Target ÷ (1 − Loss%) × (1 + Overage%).
Mass is the calculation basis throughout (matches how candle formulations are actually weighed). Volume/length conversions aren't included here — enter and read every field in the same working unit.
This calculation is a starting point. Candle performance and safety must be independently tested with the final formulation, vessel, wick, fragrance, and production process.
| Material | Total Batch | Per Candle |
|---|
How was this calculated?
| Ingredient | Required | Actual | Lot/Batch # | Verified |
|---|
- Materials gathered
- Materials weighed
- Containers inspected
- Wicks installed
- Wicks centered
- Wax melted
- Temperature verified
- Fragrance added
- Fragrance mixed
- Pour completed
- Cooling area prepared
- Batch labeled
- Cure date recorded
| Check | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Surface appearance | ||
| Adhesion | ||
| Frosting | ||
| Sinkholes | ||
| Cracks | ||
| Wick position | ||
| Label | ||
| Vessel condition |
☐ RELEASED ☐ HOLD ☐ REWORK ☐ FAILED TESTING
QC Initials: __________ Date: __________
Cost Finder
Enter a supplier order, allocate shipping/tax/fees across the line items, and see the true landed cost per unit for each one.
This is a cost-planning calculation based on the numbers entered. Verify against your actual invoice before using these figures for accounting or tax purposes.
| Item | Qty | Package Size | Package Unit | Purchase Price ($, total for this line) |
|---|
Purchase Price is the total for that line (e.g. 2 × 10 lb bags for $64.00 total, not $64.00 per bag). Package Unit "Custom" skips unit conversion — cost shows per that custom unit only, rather than guessing a conversion that isn't real.
| Item | Purchased | Base Cost | Allocated | Landed Cost | Cost / Unit |
|---|
Very small per-unit costs automatically show extra decimal places instead of rounding to $0.00.