Want to know how much candle wax you need?
Below you’ll discover the simple formula to calculate how much wax you need and what measurement to avoid with candle making.
How Much Candle Wax Do I Need?
If you’d like to know how much fragrance oil you need, head over to our in-depth guide on calculating how much fragrance oil for candles.
Before we get to how to calculate, it’s important to note that candles are measured by weight, not volume.
Most containers will list how much they hold in fluid ounces.
However, wax is less dense than water and, on average, weighs 20% less than water by volume. Per pound of wax (16 ounces), you’ll get 20 ounces of volume.
Because wax is less dense than water, it’ll take up more space at lighter weights.
If you were to measure 12 ounces of wax for a container that holds 12 ounces of water, you would have too much wax because wax takes up more space than water.
In addition, most candle making materials you purchase, like wax, fragrance, or additives, will be packaged by weight and recommended to use by weight.
So set your scales to measure by weight (ounces, grams, pounds) and not by fluid ounces, milliliters, or gallons.
How to Calculate How Much Wax for Candles
As we now know, for every 1 pound of wax, you’ll get 20 ounces of volume.
Using this information, we have a simple equation for the density differences between wax and water.
Number of Candles X Volume of Container = Total Weight
Total Weight / 20 (volume ounces) = Pounds of Wax Needed
If you want to convert the pounds of wax needed to ounces, multiply by 16 since there are 16 ounces in a pound.
Example: You need to make 50 candles in 8oz containers
50 (number of candles) X 8 (8oz volume containers) = 400 (total weight)
400 (total weight) / 20 = 20 pounds of wax needed or 320 ounces of wax
Example: You need to make 25 candles in 6oz containers
25 (number of candles) X 6 (6oz volume containers) = 150 (total weight)
150 (total weight) / 20 = 7.5 pounds of wax needed or 120 ounces of wax
Candle Making Containers
If you’re purchasing containers from a candle supplier, they may make calculating how much wax you need much easier.
Look for a measurement referred to as the wax weight fill line. This is how much wax the container can hold.
Once you know the wax weight fill amount, multiply that by the number of candles you want to make.
Wax Weight Fill Amount(ounces) X Number of Candles = Ounces of Wax Needed
If you want to convert the ounces to pounds, divide by 16 because there are 16 ounces in a pound.