Fragrance Load Calculator
Wax and fragrance for a jar at any load — the load is a share of the wax, so adding it afterwards overflows.
Every wax has a maximum load it will hold before the oil separates and pools, and it is on the supplier's data sheet rather than derivable from anything here. This is the arithmetic, not permission to exceed it. Nothing is uploaded.
Adding fragrance to a full jar overflows it
Fragrance load is a share of the wax weight. So the natural sequence — work
out the wax that fills the jar, then add the percentage — puts in
19.2 g more than the jar holds. The error is that the percentage was
never a share of the jar.
Working backwards instead gives 174.5 g of wax and
17.5 g of oil, which fills it exactly. The
correction is a division by one-plus-the-load, not a subtraction — subtracting 10%
from the jar weight lands somewhere else entirely.
| Load | Naive: wax + oil | Overflows by | Correct: wax + oil |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6% | 192 + 11.5 = 203.5 g | 11.5 g | 181.1 + 10.9 = 192 g |
| 8% | 192 + 15.4 = 207.4 g | 15.4 g | 177.8 + 14.2 = 192 g |
| 10% | 192 + 19.2 = 211.2 g | 19.2 g | 174.5 + 17.5 = 192 g |
| 12% | 192 + 23.0 = 215.0 g | 23.0 g | 171.4 + 20.6 = 192 g |
The overflow is exactly the fragrance, every time — which follows, since the wax alone already filled the jar. A heavier load trades wax for oil rather than adding to it, so the answer is always less wax than you first calculated, never more.
And the same load reads smaller on the other base
A 10% load is 9.09% of what ends up in the
jar. Not a large difference, and a real one — it matters when comparing a load against a
wax's rated maximum, or against another maker's stated figure that may be quoted on the other
base. The two coincide only at zero and diverge further as the load climbs.
There is no standard that settles which base is meant, so the honest answer when reading
someone else's number is that you cannot tell without asking. Within your own notes it costs
nothing to write down which one you used.
| Load, as a share of wax | As a share of the finished candle |
|---|---|
| 6% | 5.66% |
| 8% | 7.41% |
| 10% | 9.09% |
| 12% | 10.71% |
How to use
- Enter how much mixture the jar holds, in grams.
- Set the fragrance load you want.
- Read the wax and the oil, which together fill it exactly.
- Compare against the naive figure.
Frequently asked questions
Is fragrance load a percentage of the wax or the candle?
The wax. So a 10% load on 192 g of wax is 19.2 g of oil and 211.2 g in the jar — which is 19.2 g more than the jar holds if the wax was sized to fill it.
How do I work out the wax then?
Divide the jar weight by one plus the load. For a 192 g jar at 10%, that is 174.2 g of wax and 17.4 g of oil, which fills it exactly. The correction is a division because the load is a share of the quantity you are solving for.
Can I just subtract the percentage instead?
No, and it is a tempting shortcut. Subtracting 10% from 192 g gives 172.8 g, which is 1.4 g out — small here and growing with the load. The two operations are not inverses of each other.
What is 10% of the wax as a share of the candle?
9.09%. Not a large difference, and a real one when comparing a load against a wax rated maximum or against another maker stated figure, which may be quoted on the other base. No standard settles which is meant, so the honest answer when reading someone else number is that you cannot tell without asking.
What happens if I exceed the wax maximum load?
The oil separates and pools rather than staying bound in the wax — you get an oily surface, a poor burn, and sometimes a flame that behaves badly. The maximum is on the supplier data sheet; this calculator does the arithmetic and takes no view on whether the number you enter is safe.
Does more fragrance mean a stronger scent?
Up to the wax limit, broadly yes, and it is not linear — throw depends on the oil, the wick and the wax as much as the percentage. Going past the limit reduces performance rather than improving it, which is why the ceiling exists.
When should I add the fragrance?
At the temperature the supplier specifies, which is usually a stated window rather than a single figure, and stirred for a good while — two minutes is a common recommendation. That is technique rather than arithmetic, and it matters more than the third decimal place of the load.
Does this send anything anywhere?
No. Every figure is computed in your browser, and nothing is uploaded or stored.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.