Candle Making: The Cost of Making a Candle

Candles are a form of fragrant love and emotions packed in a small jar. There is nothing more suitable than candles in order to add warmth and light to every corner of your home. And, just imagine how amazing would it be to have a candle made by yourself at your abode!

There are not many people who do not love candle. If you are a candle lover and want to make a business out of selling candles, the candle business can be a good option for you. Nowadays, there is a good demand for homemade candles. So, if you want to evolve as a candle maker, start making a business plan without a further due.

Regarding any business, there are some common factors that decide the lifespan of a business. It is essential to plan out physical costs, labor, material costs, overhead, packaging costs, and shipping cost to make a candle. Only this shall make candle making profitable.

Profitability of Candle making

In the case of a candle business, there is a wide range of factors that concludes to if it will be a good business. The profitability of this business is solely dependent on how many candles you can make at once. The stats of scales should determine the profit margins.

Scented candles: Harmful or Not?

Recently, people are worried if scented candles are harmful. You might have seen some headlines about the dangers of scented candles — including those claiming that paraffin candles are toxic. They have claimed that these candles release harmful, cancer-causing chemicals into the air.

But, don’t worry! Read the following to have a clear idea. When candles burn, they release many vapors and particles into the air, but research suggests that using them is safe.

This headline of scented candles being harmful brought candle based businesses at a loss. They were initially losing money. But, there are so many people who simply love candles that they can’t resist using this lovely stuff.

What you will need

Equipment:

You don’t need that much equipment to make homemade candles. A pot and an electric stove would just work fine. A pot to place the wax in to warm and melt, and an electric stove to heat the pot. A double boiler also does the job.

Materials:

For materials, you need wax, wick, wick stickers, glass container, fragrance oils, color, and skewers. These materials are affordable and available. That is all you need to collect for making candles.

Instructions on how to make a candle:

Making some candle and owning a candle-making business will only be effective if you know how to do so. Before you get started, go through the full instructions for making homemade candles. When you’re ready to begin, prepare the area where you’ll be making your candle. Make sure to cover the surface with newspaper or a brown paper bag.

1. Placing the wick: While the wax is heating in the pot, make sure to stir it in intervals so that it doesn’t burn. In the meantime, place the wick in your glass containers and keep them ready for the hot wax. It is best to use a previously used jar as it can be both budget and eco-friendly.
2. Heating the wax: Set a pot on your electric stove and place wax in them to heat up. Add your favorite fragrance oils and essential oils as your preference. You may look up some notes you like to add. You can also add colors if you desire.
3. Transferring the wax: Carefully pour the melted wax into the glass container. Use skewers or popsicle sticks to help keep the wick in place. Let the wax cool completely. After that, you can trim the wick down to size.

Homemade Candles are Magic!

There is no doubt about how candles light up your place and make the aura real cozy. The comfort that a candle-lit room provides is unmatched. However, you can make scented candles with a few materials and a little bit of know-how. Additionally, you can decide what fragrance oil goes into them. A bit of color can take the look of the candle to another level. These days, pastels are the trendy color scheme. If you are also a pastel lover, add in a tad bit of your favorite color so that it mixes up with the neutral wax and has an undertone of the bright color you added.

Homemade candles are full of personal touch, love, and warmth of you. It can brighten up someone just as much as it brightens up a room. If you are thinking about gifting your loved ones a memorable and lovely gift, there could possibly be nothing better than a handmade candle.

How much does it cost to make a candle?

Now that, you have figured out which supplies you will need, let’s move on to the costs of it. Figuring the cost per candle will help your candle business bring in more profit. Now, how much do you think a single candle costs?

It costs between $2.00 and $5.00 to make a candle. This pricing is made depending on the size ranging from a 4 oz candle to a 16 oz candle. The price is also variable on the type of container being used and the type of essential oil being used. Few fragrances and essential oils can be very expensive and rare. For example, making candles in glass and ornate containers will cost more money.

For materials, you must buy supplies at wholesale price. Those are pretty inexpensive and can be bought in large quantities. In order to save money for your small business, it is essential to buy from the mass market.

The price of making candles can be brought down even further depending on how large of an order for supplies you are willing to make. Manufacturing a big batch is always cost-effective.

In addition to this, the price can go up drastically if you are trying to make a candle in a more expensive glass container with a more expensive blend of wax or fragrance oil. Also, larger candles require more wicks, more wax, and more shipping charge. That is why buying supplies at wholesale prices will help you cut down costs.

In short, material costs, labor, and other costs will add up as total cost. If you own candle making business, initially the making costs may be higher.

How to price a candle?

While gathering the materials to make your own candles, understanding the prices of things will be crucial. Not only will it allow you to estimate how much you can budget, but also how many candles you can make. It particularly is useful if you plan on selling homemade candles to the public. This part of the article will help you figure out how much does it cost to make a candle.

If you own a small business of scented candles you can measure the cost of supplies in a jiffy. Usually, candle makers charge twice the price that they paid. That is a normal pricing strategy for the candle business.

But, if it gets difficult for you to calculate manually, you can use a candle making calculator. Most businesses use a candle making profit calculator in order to measure the ratio of cost to revenue. There is some fixed cost in all businesses, the same goes for the candle business. Here, the hydro bill, rent, and operational expenses will be fixed irrespective of profit.

Depending on the kind of container you choose to put a candle in the price will vary. That is because glass and tin containers are two different kinds of containers based on their built and quality. Also, while pricing your product, ensure to charge extra if it is a busy or holiday season referring traffic.

To break down the cost of an 8 0z candle tin, you will need 5 lbs of wax costing $13.32, 10 containers, and 10 wicks costing $9.6 and $7 respectively. You will also need some fragrance oil here. 5 oz of fragrance oil will work. That will cost about $13.25. With this, you can make 10 container candles and the total cost will sum up to $36. 87.

Candle Making costs

If you own candle business, it is a must for you to have a clear idea of the making charge to make your business stand out and also generate revenue, you must set price accordingly.

You must think of making an initial investment of around $20 for supplies. This includes wicks, waxes, a double boiler, wax paper, paper towels, tins, and containers. That is unless you plan on making tapers. For that, containers are not required.

However, you might want to consider purchasing other things like molds, double-sided stickers, funnels, and drying racks. If you want to make the candles scented using herbs, you’ll also have to purchase some infused oils and dried herbs. If customers want the same product repeatedly, you can also prepare for making them beforehand. That makes sense, right?

Estimating and Planning costs of homemade candle

All this will price in the range of $50 or more. However, there are many items that you have to buy them once. Some of these are like a lifetime investment. For example, the double boiler, drying rack, and funnels. These will require replacement when they become unusable after years of use. You can also buy wax in a bulk to help reduce costs.

You must stock on things like base wax, wicks, wax paper, paper toweling, tins, containers, oils, fragrances, and herbs. Thus, it is a good idea to pay close attention to how many of these things you use in one candle-making session and how often you make them. This way you can budget appropriately and save money too. 

Cost per candle

After planning out the initial costs, you must break down costs per candle. Until that, you are not going to see any profit coming your way. It is very important for a small business to look at its cost-effectiveness. If not, things are not going to come up as you would like them to be. It should be around $1-$5 on average. However, you must charge at least twice the charge to have a profit.

Attract more customers

A prime thing about a candle business is selling online. Online stores are widely popular and proven to have massive responses too. Most of the people from the target group keep on scrolling social platforms and websites to look for cute and affordable products.

So, open an online store to sell your products. Few people would like their candle written with another media, so you also may introduce that range. If your business is candle based, you can also stack coffee mugs, and craft fairs in your store and website to attract a wider customer base.

Things to be careful about

If you’re sensitive to fragrance, you may leave it out. If you’re concerned about having the air in your home as clean as possible, use soy wax. Soy candles are proven to be the best to have purified air in the area, with the least harmful ingredients.

But, it has been observed that some candle lovers look for candles with more fragrance oil. In that case, most candle makers use paraffin wax. It is an element that is proven to hold a high amount of color and fragrance. Paraffin wax is really suitable for different types of candles as it has different melting points.

While making any candle at home, be sure to wear gloves and masks. It is best to have a helping hand too as pouring the melted wax can be a little difficult. This will prevent you from being exposed to heat or too much fragrance.

Conclusion

If you own a candle business, you must know candle makers make a lot of money now that the candle business is booming with new customers each day. Candle manufacturing may have price variance depending on what type of candle you are making and how many you are making at once. Also, which fragrance oil you put in matters a lot. However, a bright side is that even when making small batches you can still beat the price of upscale retailers.

If you are just making candles as a leisure time activity and to give them out as gifts then you can rest easy knowing candles generally have a shelf life of two years. So, if you are interested in making candles, start buying supplies and get on the roll right now!

Whether this is a business or a hobby you are serious about doing then remember when you have your formulas worked out and have tested all of your candles and fragrances. Then wholesale orders bring in a real profit.

In conclusion, selling candles can turn out as a great profession. If this is your own business, give it your all following all the instructions above and you shall triumph!

Faq

Q: How can I calculate the cost to make candles?

A: To calculate the cost of making candles, you must consider all the components of the candle. These include the cost of candle wax, the wick, containers like ornate glass containers if being used, and any fragrance or coloring added. Stickers, packaging, and other branding materials should also be included. Do not forget to add the cost of any candle making equipment you may have bought.

Q: Is it cheaper to make your own scented candles rather than buying them?

A: Generally, yes. When you make your own scented candles, you can control the cost of goods. However, some high-quality materials like some expensive wax types or scents could potentially make some candles expensive to create, negating any cost savings.

Q: How much would a typical 8 oz candle cost to make?

A: Various factors can affect the cost, but on average, an 8 oz candle can cost around $5.00 to make. However, this price can change based on the cost of the components such as the wax, the wick, fragrance, the container, etc.

Q: What should I consider when I want to make candles to sell?

A: When you want to make and sell candles, it’s essential to calculate the cost of making each candle, including all components and packaging. Then, you should price your candles to make a profit. Keep in mind the cost for wholesale if you plan on large scale selling. Always consider quality as well, as that can justify a higher selling price.

Q: How do I break down the cost of making candles?

A: Breaking down the cost of making candles involves listing every component of the candle and the cost associated with each. These can include candle wax, wick, scent, color, container, and packaging. Include cost of any equipment used in the candle making process. This way you can calculate how much every candle would cost to make.

Q: Are cost of making candles and candle price the same?

A: No, they are not the same. The cost of making candles includes all expenses in producing the candle. The candle price is what you sell the candle for. Ideally, the candle price should be higher than the cost of making, to ensure you make a profit.

Q: Can a candle company make a profit from selling candles?

A: Yes, a candle company can make a profit. The profitability relies on knowing the cost of goods, being able to calculate the cost effectively, and pricing the candles correctly to cover costs and to gain profit. It’s also important to keep quality high to justify your prices with consumers.

Q: What makes some candles expensive to make?

A: Factors like the type of candle wax, the scent, coloring, and the kind of container used (like candles in ornate glass containers) can make some candles expensive to make. Also, high-quality materials and exclusive scents contribute to higher production cost.

Q: What would be the cost of candle making equipment?

A: The cost of candle making equipment varies depending on the quality and quantity of tools. Basic starters kits can be quite cheap, while professional grade equipment can be more expensive. Always consider this cost when calculating the cost to make candles.

Q: Can I make candles to sell without a huge investment?

A: Yes, you can start a candle business with relatively low upfront costs. The actual cost to make candles can be quite low if you choose cost-effective materials and make moderate initial investments in candle making equipment. Over time, as your candle making becomes profitable, you could choose to invest more.