Pricing a candle off the cost of wax alone almost always comes out too low, because the jar, the wick, the labels and your time usually cost more than the wax does. This candle pricing calculator adds all of it up, shows what you keep after selling fees, and gives you a way to check whether a wholesale price would still make money.
How to price candles step by step
Start with the wax in one candle and what it costs per pound, then the fragrance load and the price of your fragrance oil. Fragrance goes in as its own line on purpose. At a 9% or 10% load it's a real cost, and folding it into a flat "materials" guess hides how much a stronger scent throw costs you. The calculator works out the fragrance oil from the wax weight and the load percentage. Weigh a finished test batch now and then to make sure what you planned to pour is what you actually used.
Next come the jar and lid, then the wick, the warning sticker and your labels. They're small individually, but every candle needs them. If your jar supplier charges shipping on a case, spread that over the jars you can actually use.
For labor, count the minutes you're actively working: weighing, melting, pouring, trimming wicks, labeling, checking and packing, divided by the candles in the batch. Multiply by the hourly rate you want to pay yourself. Cure time isn't labor, since you aren't working while the candles sit. Add packaging, then a failure allowance for cracked jars, bad burns and batches you can't sell.
Last, choose a sales channel, target margin and any shipping you charge. Etsy's fees come out of the selling price. Wholesale skips those retail fees, but the price is much lower, and it still has to cover your materials, time, overhead and some profit.
Worked example
Enter 6 ounces of wax per candle at a wax price of $3.50, a 9% fragrance load, and fragrance oil priced at $1.84. Add $2.90 for the jar and lid, $0.45 for the wick, sticker, and labels, 8 minutes of hands-on time, and $0.60 for packaging and other costs. Set labor to $25 per hour, the failure allowance to 4%, the sales channel to Etsy, and the target profit margin to 40%. Enter $0 for shipping charged to the buyer and $0 for an optional price.
Six ounces of wax at $3.50 a pound is about $1.31. Fragrance adds about $0.99, and with the jar, lid, wick, sticker and labels, material cost comes to $5.66. The calculator shows $0.00 for machine use and electricity (this example uses no equipment), $3.33 for labor, $0.60 for packaging and $0.38 for failures. Total cost is $9.97.
The suggested price is $20.99. At that price, Etsy fees are $2.44, profit is $8.57 and margin is 41%. Hourly pay shows as $89.30. Displayed amounts are rounded, so working from the rounded figures by hand can land a cent off.
Notice the jar. At $2.90 it costs more than twice what the wax does.
What candle makers tend to leave out
Wax left in the pouring pitcher still cost money. A new scent can take several wick tests before you have a candle you'd sell. Broken jars and crooked labels don't happen often, but they're a real cost when they do. Warning labels, dust covers and shipping padding belong in the price. Wholesale buyers need room to mark your candle up, so your retail price can't be the only thing you check. And Etsy's fees apply to the shipping you charge as well as the candle.
Your real hourly pay
Hourly pay here is profit plus labor pay, divided by your hands-on hours. In the example, $8.57 profit plus $3.33 labor pay over 8 minutes works out to about $89.30 per hour, using the calculator's unrounded numbers. It's useful for comparing a simple jar candle with a layered or decorated one that takes three times as long to pour and finish. It doesn't mean every hour you put into the business pays that. Marketing, photos and answering messages aren't counted here.
FAQ
How much should I charge for a handmade candle?
Add up wax, fragrance, the jar, wick, labels, labor, packaging, expected failures and selling fees, then pick a margin. The example suggests $20.99 for its exact inputs. A bigger jar or a pricier fragrance oil means running it again.
How do I price candles for wholesale?
Work out the cost and labor for the wholesale order, including any different packaging or delivery. Shops commonly buy at about half of retail, so check that half your retail price still leaves you a profit after those costs. If it doesn't, raise your retail price or don't wholesale that candle. Blindly offering 50% off can wipe out your margin.
Should I include curing time in candle labor?
No. Count the minutes you spend weighing, pouring, testing, labeling and packing. Curing takes shelf space and ties up money in stock, which is worth planning around, but it doesn't add labor to each candle.
Why is my Etsy candle profit lower than price minus materials?
The rest also has to pay for your time, packaging, failed candles and Etsy's fees. In the $20.99 example, materials are $5.66, but total cost is $9.97 before $2.44 in fees. Look at profit after every line, not just after wax and jars.
The full Tidy Margin candle workbook builds each candle from a recipe of the supplies you actually buy, and shows a wholesale price and wholesale profit for every product.