How much does it cost to make a candle?

A typical 8 oz soy candle costs $3 to $6 in materials including wax, fragrance, wick, vessel, and label. Selling price is usually 2.5x to 3x material cost for direct retail.

How do I price my candles for retail?

Multiply unit cost by 2.5 for direct-to-consumer or 4x if you plan to wholesale, since wholesale buyers re-markup by half. Don't forget to include packaging, shipping, and labor in unit cost.

Free Calculator

Candle Cost Calculator

Unit cost and suggested retail for any recipe.

Showing $. Defaults use the current regional pricing catalogue; estimates are labelled until exact supplier URLs are scraped. FX reference: 1 GBP = $1.27 (2026-06-26).

Wax weight

Wax cost

Fragrance weight

Fragrance cost

Wick

$each

Vessel

$each

Label

$each

Labor time

min

Labor rate

$/ hr

Unit cost

$7.49

Wax$0.92

Fragrance$1.13

Wick$0.22

Vessel$2.40

Label$0.32

Labor$2.50

Retail @ 2x$14.98

Retail @ 2.5x$18.73

Retail @ 3x$22.47

Wholesale (retail ÷ 2)$9.36

Enter what each component actually cost you. We return per-candle unit cost, gross margin at common retail multiples (2x, 2.5x, 3x), and a wholesale-friendly price.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to make a candle?: A typical 8 oz soy candle costs $3 to $6 in materials including wax, fragrance, wick, vessel, and label. Selling price is usually 2.5x to 3x material cost for direct retail.
How do I price my candles for retail?: Multiply unit cost by 2.5 for direct-to-consumer or 4x if you plan to wholesale, since wholesale buyers re-markup by half. Don't forget to include packaging, shipping, and labor in unit cost.

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