Show the math
Every number in the calculator comes from these lines. Nothing is hidden: change an input and the result follows the same steps.
- Fill weight
- vessel capacity (fl oz) × wax density factor, or the fill weight you enter
- Wax and fragrance
- % of wax weight: wax = fill ÷ (1 + fragrance %), fragrance = wax × fragrance %. % of total fill: fragrance = fill × fragrance %, wax = fill − fragrance
- Wax cost
- wax oz ÷ 16 × pack price ÷ pack lb ÷ (1 − loss)
- Fragrance cost
- fragrance oz × bottle price ÷ bottle oz ÷ (1 − loss)
- Components
- wicks per unit × wick cost + vessel ÷ (1 − breakage) + lid + (label + warning label) ÷ (1 − label waste) + wax lb × dye per lb
- Labor minutes
- batch time ÷ units per batch + finishing per unit + design ÷ units sharing the design (cure time is not labor)
- Unit cost
- (materials + equipment per batch ÷ units per batch + labor) ÷ (1 − failure rate) + packaging + overhead
- Price before rounding
- (unit cost + fixed fees per item) ÷ (1 − fee % − target margin); Etsy fixed fees: $0.25 per order + $0.20 per item
- Rounding
- retail: up to the next price ending in .99; wholesale: up to the next cent
- Effective hourly rate
- (profit + labor already in the cost) ÷ (labor minutes ÷ 60)
- Wholesale check
- shelf price = wholesale × markup; margin at half your Etsy price = (half − unit cost) ÷ half
- Batch plan
- wax lb = units × wax oz ÷ (1 − loss) ÷ 16; fragrance oz = units × fragrance oz ÷ (1 − loss); items to have ready = units × per unit ÷ (1 − waste), rounded up
Equipment per batch is the cost of your melter, pitchers, heat gun, scale and thermometer spread over their life, plus upkeep and power for one melt. The example: $650 over 600 batches + $60 a year over 200 batches + 1.5 kW × 1.5 h × $0.16 per kWh = $1.7433 per batch.
Worked example: an 8 oz soy candle in an amber jar
These are the calculator's default inputs: an 8 fl oz amber glass jar with one wick and a metal lid, soy container wax from a $108.47 45 lb case, fragrance oil at $28.00 for 16 oz at an 8% load (an example value), made 24 to a batch and sold one per order. The example scent is Cedar & Sage.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fill weight | 8 fl oz × 0.86 | 6.88 oz |
| Wax and fragrance | 6.88 ÷ (1 + 0.08) = 6.370 oz of wax; 6.370 × 8% = 0.510 oz of fragrance | 6.370 + 0.510 oz |
| Wax | $108.47 ÷ 45 lb ÷ (1 − 0.03) = $2.485/lb; 6.370 oz ÷ 16 × $2.485 | $0.989 |
| Fragrance | $28.00 ÷ 16 oz ÷ (1 − 0.03) = $1.804/oz; 0.510 oz × $1.804 | $0.919 |
| Wick, jar and lid | $0.0695 + $1.77 ÷ (1 − 0.02) + $0.30 | $2.176 |
| Labels | ($0.16 + $0.05) ÷ (1 − 0.03) | $0.216 |
| Materials | $4.301 | |
| Equipment | $1.7433 per batch ÷ 24 | $0.073 |
| Labor minutes | 60 ÷ 24 batch + 5 finishing + 60 ÷ 150 design | 7.9 min |
| Labor | 7.9 min × $25/h ÷ 60 | $3.292 |
| Failure allowance | $7.665 ÷ (1 − 0.03) − $7.665 | $0.237 |
| Packaging + overhead | $0.90 + $150 a month ÷ 200 units | $1.650 |
| Unit cost | $9.55 | |
| Etsy price | ($9.552 + $0.25 per order + $0.20 per item) ÷ (1 − 0.095 − 0.40) = $19.807, up to .99 | $19.99 |
| Etsy fees and profit | $19.99 × 9.5% + $0.25 + $0.20 = $2.35 in fees; $19.99 − $2.35 − $9.55 = $8.09 profit, a 40.5% margin | $8.09 |
| Effective hourly rate | ($8.089 + $3.292) ÷ (7.9 ÷ 60) | $86.43/h |
The other channels use the same unit cost. Your own site: ($9.552 + $0.30) ÷ (1 − 0.029 − 0.40) = $17.25, so $17.99. A craft fair, where the $60 booth is spread over 40 expected sales: ($9.552 + $0.15 + $1.50) ÷ (1 − 0.026 − 0.40) = $19.52, so $19.99. Wholesale: $9.552 ÷ (1 − 0.30) = $13.646, rounded up to the cent, $13.65.
The batch plan for 24 candles: 24 × 6.370 oz ÷ (1 − 0.03) ÷ 16 = 9.851 lb of wax to melt and 24 × 0.510 oz ÷ (1 − 0.03) = 12.609 oz of fragrance to weigh. With 2% breakage you need 25 jars (24 ÷ 0.98 = 24.49, rounded up), plus 25 labels, 25 warning labels, 24 wicks and 24 lids. A 45 lb case makes 109 candles, 10 lb of wax makes 24, and a 16 oz bottle of fragrance covers 30. Materials for the batch come to $103.22.
Four products from the same shop
Same labor rate, equipment, margins and supplies, four different products. Use the example buttons above the calculator to load each one.
| Product (example scent) | Fill | Labor | Unit cost | Etsy | Wholesale | $/h on Etsy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 oz soy candle, amber jar (Cedar & Sage) | 6.88 oz | 7.9 min | $9.55 | $19.99 | $13.65 | $86.43 |
| 16 oz 3-wick tumbler, wood lid (Pine Forest) | 13.76 oz | 11.6 min | $15.46 | $31.99 | $22.09 | $92.45 |
| 4 oz travel tin (Lavender Fields) | 3.44 oz | 4.05 min | $5.16 | $11.99 | $7.37 | $102.71 |
| Wax melts, 6-cube clamshell, dyed (Fresh Linen) | 2.58 oz | 3.4 min | $3.75 | $8.99 | $5.36 | $94.53 |
Wax melts are priced the same way: the clamshell is the vessel, wicks and lid are zero, the fragrance load is 10% (an example value) and dye is $0.149 per lb of wax ($5.95 for a bottle that colours about 40 lb). A 6-cube clamshell costs $3.75 and sells for $8.99 on Etsy, $7.99 on your own site and $9.99 at a fair.
Candle wholesale price: the keystone check
Shops that stock candles usually pay about half of their shelf price, so they double your wholesale price (keystone). At a 30% wholesale margin the 8 oz candle wholesales at $13.65, which is 68.3% of its $19.99 Etsy price; a shop doubling it would shelve it at $27.30.
Selling wholesale at exactly half your Etsy price, $10.00, would leave a 4.5% margin after paying you $25 an hour (3.4% on the 16 oz tumbler). That is the trade-off in numbers: wholesale at keystone works when your retail price sits near the keystone shelf price, or when you accept a thinner margin on those units. The calculator shows it; the choice is yours.
Where candle prices usually go wrong
- Pricing on wax alone. The wax in the 8 oz candle costs $0.99. The jar costs more ($1.81), and your time costs $3.29.
- Forgetting that fragrance costs more than wax. Per ounce, the example fragrance ($1.804) costs about 12 times as much as the wax ($2.485 a pound is $0.155 an ounce). Raising the 8 oz candle's fragrance load from 8% to 10% adds $0.20 to its cost ($9.55 to $9.75) and moves its Etsy price from $19.99 to $20.99.
- Forgetting Etsy's fixed fees. The $0.25 processing fee is charged on every order and the $0.20 listing renewal on every item sold. On a one-candle $19.99 order that is 2.3% of the price; on an $8.99 clamshell of wax melts it is 5%.
- Underestimating the craft-fair booth. A $60 booth spread over 40 sales is $1.50 a candle. If you sell 20 instead of 40, it doubles to $3.00 and the fair price rises to $22.99.
- Wholesale as half of retail. Half of $19.99 is $10.00, barely above the $9.55 cost. Price wholesale from cost at a wholesale margin instead: $13.65 here, then check the keystone shelf price.
- Counting cure time as work. Candles may sit for days before they ship, but waiting isn't labor. The calculator counts batch time, finishing and design only.