The formula
Fragrance oil = wax weight × load percentage. Weigh both on a scale; don’t measure fragrance by volume.
- 16 oz (1 lb) of wax at 8%: 16 × 0.08 = 1.28 oz of fragrance oil.
- 450 g of wax at 8%: 450 × 0.08 = 36 g.
Suppliers often write the load per pound of wax. CandleScience lists 10% for its 464 soy container wax as 1.6 oz per lb, or 45 g per 454 g.
Typical ranges
CandleWic’s beginner ranges:
| Wax | Load |
|---|---|
| Soy | 6 to 10% |
| Paraffin | 8 to 12% |
| Soy-paraffin blend | 6 to 10% |
Each wax has its own recommended range, which the wax supplier lists. CandleWic warns that too much fragrance oil can cause sooting, smoking or tunnelling, and going over the maximum may create a fire hazard.
Percent of wax or of the whole candle
This entry, and CandleWic, take the percentage of the wax weight. Some recipes take it of the finished candle (wax plus oil) instead, which gives less oil.
For a 16 oz candle at 10% of the total: 1.6 oz of oil and 14.4 oz of wax. Measured against the wax, that’s 1.6 ÷ 14.4 = 11.1%. Check which one a recipe means before you compare it with your wax’s maximum.