To quickly find out approximately how much wax your candle container can hold, multiply the fluid oz by the standard .86 to get the estimated wax weight. For example, the wax weight of a 9 fluid oz candle jar is 7.74 oz (9 x .86 = 7.74).
Other Considerations for Wax Weight Measurement
Candlemaking is a balance of art and science. As your creative mind comes up with fragrance combinations and infusions designed to dazzle, everything must be carefully calculated to ensure the correct amount of wax is being used, materials aren’t wasted, and your candles burn correctly.
One crucial calculation is wax weight – below is a step-by-step guide to help you calculate the appropriate wax weight for your candle containers.
1. Understand the Container’s Volume
First, determine the volume of your candle container. This is typically provided in fluid ounces (FL OZ.) or milliliters (ML). The volume indicates the amount of space available for the wax. If not provided by your container manufacturer, you can measure it yourself in two easy steps:
- Fill the container with water: Use a measuring cup to fill the container to the desired level with water.
- Measure the water: Pour the water from the container back into the measuring cup to determine the container volume.
2. Calculate the Wax Weight
- As explained above, to find out how much wax your container can hold, use the following formula:
- Wax Weight (oz) = Container Volume (fl oz) × Wax Density
- If you don’t know the exact density of your wax, a good rule of thumb is to use .86
- So for example, if your candle container has a volume of 16 oz and you’re using the standard wax density of 0.86, the calculation would be:
- 16 oz × 0.86 g/ml = 13.76 oz (wax weight)
3. Adjust for Additional Ingredients
- If you’re adding fragrance oils, dyes, or other additives, you need to account for their weight as well. Typically, fragrance oils are added at 6-10% of the total wax weight.
- Example Adjustment – For an 8.6-ounce wax weight with 10% fragrance oil:
- Fragrance Oil Weight = 8.6 (wax weight) × 0.10 = 0.86
- Total Wax Weight = 8.6 + 0.86 = 9.46 oz
4. Accurate Measurement
The above steps are important for accurate estimations, however, for the most precise measurement, weigh the empty container first, then fill it with wax and weigh it again. The difference between these two weights represents the wax weight.
By following these steps, you can accurately calculate the wax weight needed for your candle containers, ensuring proper filling and compliance with industry standards. This “science” helps maintain the quality of your candles and meets customer expectations, so you can focus worry-free on the creative side of candlemaking.
