Candle Making Calculators

Wax, wick, fragrance and container numbers. 11 calculators for candle makers. Melt-and-pour and cold-process work sits under Soap Making.

Wick size is the choice that decides whether a candle is any good. The target is a melt pool that reaches the full container width within one to two hours of the first burn. Miss it low and the candle tunnels, and tunneling never heals, because the first burn sets the width of every burn after it. Miss it high and you get soot, a tall restless flame, and wax disappearing far quicker than it should. Wax type matters as much as jar diameter here, since soy melts cooler than paraffin and wants a hotter wick at the same size.

Scent throw scores against the wax’s own ceiling rather than an absolute percentage. Soy and paraffin take 10 to 12% fragrance oil, beeswax only 6 to 8%, and most makers pour at 6 to 8% anyway, which is where soy throws best without sweating oil onto the surface.

Burn test every new combination. A recipe that works in a 3 inch jar does not carry over to a 4 inch one.