Formula
The fill weight is the water weight times a specific-gravity factor. Fragrance is a percent of the wax, so the wax is the fill divided by one plus the load.
fill = water × factor × candles
wax = fill ÷ (1 + load)
fragrance = wax × load
Soy 0.90, paraffin 0.86, coconut-soy 0.92, and beeswax 0.95 are planning factors. Armatage Candle Company publishes the water-weight method and the 0.86 paraffin rule; a pour of your own wax is the number to trust. Changing the wax menu writes the factor. You can still edit the factor after that.
Worked examples
8 oz of water, soy 0.90, 8% fragrance, one candle. Fill = 7.20 oz. Wax = 7.20 ÷ 1.08 = 6.67 oz. Oil = 0.53 oz.
100 g of water, same soy and load. Fill = 90 g. Wax = 90 ÷ 1.08 = 83.33 g. Oil = 6.67 g. That is the case the unit test locks.
Reference
One vessel holding 8 ounces of water, 8% fragrance load. Factors are estimates for planning a first pour.
| Wax | Factor | Wax | Oil |
|---|---|---|---|
| soy | 0.90 | 6.67 oz | 0.53 oz |
| coconut-soy | 0.92 | 6.81 oz | 0.55 oz |
| paraffin | 0.86 | 6.37 oz | 0.51 oz |
| beeswax | 0.95 | 7.04 oz | 0.56 oz |
Questions
How do I turn a jar of water into a wax weight?
Weigh the water that fills the jar to the pour line. Multiply by the wax factor. That is the total fill weight, wax plus fragrance oil. Wax = fill ÷ (1 + fragrance load). Fragrance oil = wax × the load. An 8 ounce jar of water in soy at 0.90 and 8% fragrance is 7.20 ounces of fill, 6.67 ounces of wax, and 0.53 ounces of oil.
What wax factor should I use?
Soy container wax is commonly planned at 0.90. Paraffin at 0.86. Coconut-soy at 0.92. Beeswax at 0.95. These are planning factors, not a lab reading of your lot. If the supplier prints a specific gravity, use that. A test pour of the actual wax beats every number here.
Is the fragrance load a percent of the wax or of the whole candle?
Of the wax. An 8% load means the oil weighs 8% of the wax weight, and wax plus oil equals the fill. That is the candle-math identity Armatage Candle Company publishes.
Can I calculate more than one candle?
Yes. The candle count multiplies the fill. Each candle still gets the same wax and the same oil. Weigh the water in one vessel, then set the count.
Sources
- Armatage Candle Company, candle math equations — wax = fill ÷ (1 + fragrance load).
- Paraffin × 0.86 and soy near 0.90 are supplier planning factors. Override the factor when the wax maker prints one.