Candle math
Fragrance load, explained
8% of the wax is not the same as 8% of the finished mixture. The percentage needs a basis.
What does 8% by wax weight mean?
Fragrance load on a wax basis compares fragrance mass with wax mass. At 8%, use 8 g of fragrance for every 100 g of wax.
1,000 g wax × 0.08 = 80 g fragrance
1,000 g wax + 80 g fragrance = 1,080 g total fill.
The fragrance is added to the wax weight. It is not 8% of that combined 1,080 g.
Starting with a total fill weight?
For a mixture of wax and fragrance, divide the total by one plus the fragrance ratio. Write 8% as 0.08.
Wax = total ÷ (1 + ratio)
Fragrance = total − wax
For 1,080 g of total fill at 8% by wax weight: 1,080 ÷ 1.08 = 1,000 g wax. The remaining 80 g is fragrance.
Same total, different basis
If the formula instead specifies 8% by total weight, multiply the combined fill weight by 0.08:
- Fragrance: 1,080 g × 0.08 = 86.4 g.
- Wax: 1,080 g − 86.4 g = 993.6 g.
Both batches weigh 1,080 g, but their proportions differ. Keep the percentage and its basis together when saving or sharing a formula.
Before you weigh
Grams measure mass, not volume. Total fill means wax plus fragrance, without the container, wick, or accessories; a jar's capacity in milliliters is not its fill weight in grams.
8% is a math example, not a recommended load. Follow your suppliers' guidance and your tested formula. Calculating amounts does not replace burn testing, especially with a new vessel, wick, wax, or fragrance.