Candle makers
Candle cost calculator: what a candle really costs to make
Wax is rarely the expensive part. For most Indian small-batch candle makers, fragrance oil and the vessel together account for over 60% of unit cost — and both move in price more often than wax does.
What goes into the cost
- Wax. Soy, coconut blend, beeswax or paraffin, priced per gram off your bulk purchase — not off the retail rate.
- Fragrance oil. Costed from your fragrance load percentage. 8% of a 200 g candle is 16 g of oil, not 'a few drops'.
- Wick and sticker. Cheap per unit, but the line most often forgotten entirely.
- Vessel. Jar, tin or concrete pot — usually the single largest line in the recipe.
- Lid and closure. Almost always priced separately from the vessel by suppliers.
- Branding. Label, warning sticker, box, dust cover, thank-you card.
- Labour and overhead. Melting, pouring, cure handling, cleaning, packing, plus power and wastage.
Worked example: 40 candles of 200 g soy wax
| Line | Quantity | Rate | Batch cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soy wax (GW 464) | 6,400 g | ₹0.23 / g | ₹1,472 |
| Fragrance oil @ 8% | 512 g | ₹3.10 / g | ₹1,587 |
| Wicks (CD 12) + stickers | 40 pcs | ₹6.00 / pc | ₹240 |
| Amber jar 200 ml + lid | 40 pcs | ₹78.00 / pc | ₹3,120 |
| Label + mailer box | 40 sets | ₹22.00 / set | ₹880 |
| Labour (4 hrs @ ₹250) | 1 batch | — | ₹1,000 |
| Overhead (power, wastage) | 1 batch | — | ₹320 |
| Total batch cost | 38 sellable units | ₹8,619 | |
That is ₹226.82 per candle once you divide by the 38 units that pass QC rather than the 40 you poured. At a 55% margin the suggested MRP is ₹504; at 40% (marketplace-safe after fees) it is ₹378.
Where makers lose money
- Fragrance costed by volume but dosed by weight — convert with density, not by eye.
- Ignoring failed pours. Frosting, sink holes and wet spots are real yield loss; divide by sellable units.
- Free labour. A four-hour batch is half a working day.
- Shipping supplies excluded — the mailer and void fill belong somewhere in your pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate cost per candle?
Add wax, fragrance, wick, vessel, lid, label and packaging for the whole batch, add labour and overhead, then divide by the number of sellable candles — not the number you poured. CraftCost does this automatically and keeps every input saved so a price change updates every candle at once.
Open the calculatorWhat fragrance load should I cost at?
Most soy waxes hold 6–10%. Cost at the load you actually pour, expressed as a weight percentage of wax. For a 200 g candle at 8% that is 16 g of fragrance per candle.
How do I convert fragrance oil from ml to grams?
Multiply millilitres by the oil's density in g/ml — around 1.0 for most fragrance oils and 0.85–0.95 for essential oils. Use the built-in converter so you cost the exact weight you pour.
Weight ↔ volume converterShould GST be included in candle costs?
If you are not registered, you pay GST on inputs and cannot claim it, so it is part of your cost. If you are registered and claiming input credit, cost ex-GST. CraftCost lets you enter the GST rate per material and shows both views.
What margin should I keep on candles?
Direct-to-customer makers typically target 55–65% margin on selling price. Selling wholesale or on marketplaces, 35–45% after fees is more realistic. The calculator shows MRP at 30/40/50/60% side by side.
How do I price different candle sizes?
Create one product and add a variant per size. Each variant keeps its own wax weight, vessel and batch size, and you can compare cost per unit across all of them and export the comparison as a PDF.
Open the calculatorDoes cure time cost me money?
Indirectly — cured stock is working capital sitting on a shelf. It does not belong in unit cost, but it should inform how much you produce per batch.
Ready to cost your next batch?
Save the recipe once and every future price change updates your cost per unit and MRP automatically.
Costing guides for other crafts
Cost a batch of handmade soap accurately: base or oils, lye, fragrance, colour, cure weight loss, cutting waste and packaging — with GST-aware MRP suggestions.
Cost agarbatti, dhoop and cones accurately: bamboo sticks, base powder, binder (jigat), fragrance dip, drying loss and box packaging — with per-box pricing and MRP.
Cost a perfume or attar properly: concentrate percentage, perfumer's alcohol, carrier oil, bottle, pump, cap and box — with maceration loss and GST-aware pricing.
Cost wax melts and snap bars accurately: wax, fragrance load, clamshell or mould, label and labour — with per-clamshell and per-cavity pricing and suggested MRP.
Cost car fresheners accurately: felt or clay blank, fragrance soak, cord, printed card, poly bag and heat seal — with per-unit costing and GST-aware MRP.