How Many Candles Does a Pound of Wax Make? Candle Wax Calculations

How Much Wax Do You Need?

Generally speaking, one pound of wax will make anywhere from 10-12 tealight candles, 6-7 votives or 4-6 pillar candles. The exact number of candles 1 pound of wax will make depends on the size and shape of the candle, as well as the type of wax being used.

To find out how much wax you will need, you can use the following formula:

Number of Candles x Weight of Container Size in Ounces = Total Ounces / 20 = Total Pounds of Wax Needed

For example, if you want to make 30 – 8 ounce candles:

30 containers x 8 ounces per container = 240 total ounces / 20 ounces per pound = 12 pounds wax needed.

Calculating Fragrance Oil

The fragrance oil amount is 0.5 to 1 ounce per pound of wax. For triple scenting, use 1.5 ounces of fragrance per pound. Confirm that the wax type accommodates the desired fragrance load.

Wax Density Considerations

It is crucial to understand that wax density differs from water, which is why measurements must be done by weight, not volume.

For proper calculation:

Wax weight to fill line in ounces for each container should be noted.
Combining the wax weight per container by the number of containers will give you the total wax needed in ounces, which can then be converted to pounds.

For instance, if you are using our 8 oz Candle Tins:

5 ounces (wax weight to fill line) x 25 candles = 125 ounces of wax.
125 ounces / 16 ounces per pound = 7.9 pounds of wax needed.

Examples of Candle Yields and Wax Amounts

5 pound slab of wax equals 80 ounces of liquid wax, which can yield 8 candles from 5 pounds of wax for 10 ounce candles. The fragrance oil needed would be 8 ounces (8 candles x 1 ounce per candle).
With 5 pounds of wax, you can make 7 – 16 ounce candles, necessitating 8.05 ounces of fragrance oil (7 candles x 1.15 ounces each).

How Many Candles Can You Make?

To determine how many 8 oz candles you can make with various amounts of wax:

For 10 lbs of wax, perform the calculation 160/8 to find that you can make approximately 20 candles.
As another example, a 5-pound slab of wax can create 10 candles if each candle is 8 oz.

Conclusion

When determining how much wax is needed for candles:

Factor in the burn time which can be influenced by wax type, wick size and type, scent amount, and burning conditions.
2 lbs of wax will make 4 – 10 oz candles or can make 8 – 5 oz candles, depending on fragrance load.

Calculating the amount of wax is crucial for managing costs and reducing waste.