{
  "slug": "candle-making-cost",
  "title": "Candle Making Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Candle Making Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/candle-making-cost",
  "summary": "Cost per candle and profitable retail price.",
  "description": "Wax, fragrance load, wick, vessel, and label costs per unit, then a wholesale and retail price that actually clears.",
  "formula": null,
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=candle-making-cost",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "waxOz",
      "label": "Wax per candle",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "oz",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "waxLb",
      "label": "Wax price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.2,
      "unit": "$/lb",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "fragrance",
      "label": "Fragrance load",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "foPrice",
      "label": "Fragrance oil price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1.9,
      "unit": "$/oz",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "vessel",
      "label": "Vessel + wick + label",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2.6,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "labor",
      "label": "Labor per candle",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1.5,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "markup",
      "label": "Retail multiplier",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.5,
      "unit": null,
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "retail",
      "label": "Retail price",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "cost",
      "label": "Cost per candle",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "wholesale",
      "label": "Wholesale price",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "profit",
      "label": "Profit at retail",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Wax per candle: 8 oz",
      "Wax price: 3.2 $/lb",
      "Fragrance load: 8 %",
      "Fragrance oil price: 1.9 $/oz",
      "Vessel + wick + label: 2.6 $",
      "Labor per candle: 1.5 $",
      "Retail multiplier: 3.5"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Retail price: $24.21",
      "Cost per candle: $6.92",
      "Wholesale price: $12.10",
      "Profit at retail: $17.29"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter wax per candle (oz).",
      "Enter wax price ($/lb).",
      "Enter fragrance load (%).",
      "Enter fragrance oil price ($/oz).",
      "Enter vessel + wick + label ($).",
      "Enter labor per candle ($).",
      "Enter retail multiplier.",
      "Read your retail price on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "waxOz": 4.8,
        "waxLb": 1.92,
        "fragrance": 4.8,
        "foPrice": 1.14,
        "vessel": 1.56,
        "labor": 0.8999999999999999,
        "markup": 2.1
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "waxOz": 8,
        "waxLb": 3.2,
        "fragrance": 8,
        "foPrice": 1.9,
        "vessel": 2.6,
        "labor": 1.5,
        "markup": 3.5
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "waxOz": 12.8,
        "waxLb": 5.120000000000001,
        "fragrance": 12.8,
        "foPrice": 3.04,
        "vessel": 4.16,
        "labor": 2.4000000000000004,
        "markup": 5.6000000000000005
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the candle making cost calculator work?",
      "a": "Wax, fragrance load, wick, vessel, and label costs per unit, then a wholesale and retail price that actually clears."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "7 values: wax per candle, wax price, fragrance load, fragrance oil price, vessel + wick + label, labor per candle, and retail multiplier. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the retail price result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/craft-pricing",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/soap-making-cost"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Candle Making Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/candle-making-cost)"
}