Incense makers
Incense cost calculator: cost per stick, cone and dhoop
Incense is a volume business with paisa-level margins per stick, so the costing has to be exact. A ₹0.06 error per stick is ₹600 on a 10,000-stick run.
What goes into the cost
- Bamboo sticks. Bought per kg or per thousand — always normalise to a per-stick rate before costing.
- Base powder. Charcoal, wood powder, sawdust or herbal masala blend, priced per kg.
- Binder (jigat / gum). Usually 15–20% of the dry mix and one of the more volatile prices.
- Fragrance / perfume dip. DEP plus aroma concentrate. Dipping absorbs more than you expect — weigh before and after.
- Drying loss. Water added for rolling evaporates. Cost against dried, packable weight.
- Packaging. Inner pouch, printed box, shrink wrap and the master carton for wholesale.
- Labour. Rolling or machine time, dipping, drying handling and packing — often the biggest line for hand-rolled.
Worked example: 5,000 sticks packed as 100 boxes of 50
| Line | Quantity | Rate | Batch cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bamboo sticks (9 inch) | 5,000 pcs | ₹0.22 / pc | ₹1,100 |
| Charcoal + wood powder | 9,000 g | ₹0.09 / g | ₹810 |
| Jigat binder @ 18% | 1,620 g | ₹0.24 / g | ₹389 |
| Perfume dip (DEP + aroma) | 1,100 g | ₹1.45 / g | ₹1,595 |
| Printed box + pouch | 100 sets | ₹8.50 / set | ₹850 |
| Labour (rolling + dip + pack) | 1 batch | — | ₹1,500 |
| Overhead (drying, power) | 1 batch | — | ₹250 |
| Total batch cost | 96 sellable boxes of 50 sticks | ₹6,494 | |
₹67.65 per box, or ₹1.35 per stick, after allowing for four boxes lost to broken and under-dipped sticks. At a 40% margin the box MRP is ₹113.
Where makers lose money
- Costing bamboo per kg but selling per stick without converting the rate.
- Guessing the perfume pickup instead of weighing sticks before and after dipping.
- Forgetting the master carton and transport for wholesale orders.
- Costing against wet weight rather than dried, packable weight.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the cost of one incense stick?
Cost the full batch — sticks, powder, binder, perfume, packaging, labour — then divide by the number of sticks that actually pack out. Enter the batch once in CraftCost and it holds the per-stick and per-box figure for you.
Open the calculatorHow much binder should I cost for?
Jigat or gum is normally 15–20% of the dry powder weight. Cost it at the percentage you actually use; it is the line most sensitive to supplier price swings.
How do I cost the perfume dip accurately?
Weigh a sample of undipped sticks, dip and dry them, then weigh again. The difference divided by the stick count is your true per-stick perfume weight.
Should I price per stick or per box?
Cost per stick, price per box. Set batch size to the number of boxes in CraftCost and add the box, pouch and label as packaging so both numbers come out together.
Open the calculatorHow do I handle drying loss?
Water is added for rolling and lost in drying, so it never reaches the customer. Cost against final dried weight and treat broken sticks as yield loss.
Is hand-rolled cheaper than machine-rolled?
Rarely, once labour is priced honestly. Create a variant for each method and compare cost per stick before you commit to equipment.
What GST applies to incense?
Agarbatti is commonly at a lower GST slab than fragrance inputs like DEP, so your input and output rates differ. Enter the correct rate per material in the calculator rather than applying one blanket rate.
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
Work out the true cost of a soy or paraffin candle: wax, fragrance load, wick, vessel, label and labour — with a worked 40-unit batch and GST-aware suggested MRP.
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 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.