Candle Fragrance Lab — Fragrance & Wax Suite

Fragrance load is the fragrance load percentage in your candle: the percentage of fragrance oil (FO) relative to wax or to the finished batch. There are two conventions: “percent of wax weight” (FO = load% × wax weight; finished batch = wax + FO) and “percent of finished batch” (FO = load% × total weight). The most common convention in candle making — used by calculators like thesassyengineer.com — is percent of wax weight. Example: 109.09 g wax at a 10% load needs 10.91 g fragrance oil, for a 120 g finished batch. Always state which basis you use, because 10% of wax and 10% of batch give different oil amounts.

It depends on your wax weight and chosen load. Use this fragrance oil calculator: a typical 8 oz jar holds about 195 g (6.9 oz) of soy wax; at an 8% load (% of wax) that is 15.6 g of fragrance oil per candle. Enter your wax (or finished batch) weight, pick the basis, and set your load percentage — the tool also warns if your load exceeds the typical max for your wax type.

With “% of wax”, the percentage is taken on the wax alone (a 10% load on 109.09 g wax = 10.91 g oil, 120 g total). With “% of finished batch”, the percentage is taken on the total (a 10% load on a 120 g batch = 12 g oil, 108 g wax). Candlesmolds.com and candlejar.co both warn that mixing up the two is the most common fragrance-load mistake. This calculator has a toggle so you can compute either way and see both numbers.

An 8 fl oz jar filled 97% with soy wax (specific gravity 0.85) needs about 195 g — 6.9 oz — of wax, matching candlewaxcalculator.com's published figure. Wax is lighter than water, so an 8 oz jar does not hold 8 oz of wax. Use the Wax Amount tab: enter your container volume, fill level, wax type, and number of candles.

Multiply the container's volume by the fill percentage and by the wax's specific gravity (density relative to water). Formula: wax weight = volume × fill% × specific gravity. Typical specific gravities: soy 0.84–0.86, beeswax ~0.90, paraffin ~0.90, coconut ~0.86 (per candlemakingfun.com). Example: 236.6 ml (8 fl oz) × 0.97 × 0.85 = 195.1 g.

The widely cited range for soy wax is 8–10% (sources: candlesmolds.com, candlejar.co). Going above your wax manufacturer's stated max load risks sweating, poor scent throw, and safety issues with the finished candle. The Wax Types tab shows the typical max load for soy, paraffin, beeswax, coconut, and blends — but always follow your specific supplier's data sheet and IFRA guidelines for the fragrance oil.

Beeswax typically holds only 2–5% fragrance oil (per candlesmolds.com). It is a dense, hard wax that rejects high oil percentages, which is why beeswax candles are often unscented or lightly scented. Exceeding ~5% commonly causes weeping and weak burn performance. If you need a strongly scented candle, soy, coconut, or paraffin blends are better choices.

Yes — paraffin is the highest-capacity common candle wax, with max loads up to about 12% (per candlesmolds.com). That is why many strongly scented commercial candles use paraffin or paraffin blends. Even so, never exceed your wax manufacturer's stated limit for your exact wax, and confirm the fragrance oil's IFRA category 12 (candles) limits.

Wax melts are usually dosed like candles: 8–12% fragrance load (% of wax weight) is the common range. The Wax Melt tab does the clamshell math: enter your clamshell capacity, number of clamshells, fill level, and load. Example: six 80 ml clamshells filled 90% with soy wax need 367.2 g wax and 36.7 g fragrance oil at a 10% load.

Use this grams to ml converter: divide grams by the oil's density: ml = g ÷ density. Fragrance oil densities typically range from 0.8 to 0.95 g/ml (per thesassyengineer.com), with 0.88 as a common default. Example: 10.91 g ÷ 0.88 = 12.4 ml. If your supplier lists the exact density (specific gravity), enter it in the Converter tab for an exact conversion.

Curing time varies by wax: soy candles typically need 7–14 days of curing, with 2 weeks recommended for full scent throw (sources: candlejar.co, lifenreflection.com). Paraffin needs at least 48 hours (2–7 days typical), beeswax about 5–7 days, and coconut 7–14 days. Curing lets the wax and fragrance oil bind; burning too early gives a weak hot throw. See the Reference Tables tab for per-wax melt, pour, and cure data.

A typical pour range for soy wax is 120–145°F (49–63°C), after reaching a melt temperature of 120–140°F (49–60°C). Beeswax pours hotter, around 150–160°F (66–71°C); paraffin around 170–180°F (77–82°C); coconut around 120–135°F (49–57°C). These are typical ranges from candlemaking suppliers — always check your wax manufacturer's sheet, and use a thermometer: hot wax causes severe burns.

The basic formula is: finished candle = wax + fragrance oil, where FO = load% × wax weight (percent-of-wax convention). A common starter recipe is 100 g soy wax at 8–10% load = 8–10 g fragrance oil. Container candles also follow wax weight = container volume × fill% × wax specific gravity. This suite chains the steps: container → wax amount → fragrance load → batch scaling.

Multiply your per-candle amounts by the candle count and add a spillage/trimming buffer — 10% is the common default. The Batch Scaler tab does this: e.g., 10 candles × 195 g wax at 8% load with a 10% buffer = 2,145 g wax + 171.6 g fragrance oil. The Reverse tab answers the opposite question: how many candles you can make from the wax and oil you have on hand.

No — more oil is not better. Exceeding the wax's max load or the oil's IFRA limit can cause sweating, sooting, poor burning, and skin sensitization risks for the maker. Fragrance oils can cause skin sensitization: follow IFRA guidelines for your specific oil, wear gloves when handling, and never exceed your wax manufacturer's max load. Also test-burn every new wax/fragrance/wick combination.

Yes. Every tab has a metric/imperial toggle: grams ↔ ounces for weight and ml ↔ fluid ounces for volume, plus a fragrance-oil density input for the g↔ml converter. Makers in the US typically work in ounces and fluid ounces; the UK, Australia, Canada, India, and most of the world work in grams and ml — the Reference Tables tab shows melt/pour temperatures in both °F and °C.