Candle Scale

Candle cost & pricing calculator

What does each candle cost, and what should you charge?

Enter what you pay for supplies. The calculator works out the cost of one candle, suggests wholesale and retail prices, and shows what you keep after Etsy fees.

Units

Recipe

oz
%
Fragrance load is a percentage of

Supplies

$
lb
$
oz
$
$
$
$

Time and overhead

min
$
$

Your share of tools, testing, insurance and utilities. Divide a month's costs by the candles you make that month.

Price multipliers

× cost
× cost

Etsy sale

$

$
$
Sale came from an Etsy Offsite Ad?

15% applies to shops under $10,000 in yearly sales, 12% to larger shops. The fee is capped at $100 per order.

Cost of one candle

Wax —
Fragrance oil —
Jar, wick, packaging, other—
Materials—
Your time—
Overhead—
Total cost—

Suggested prices

Wholesale
—
Retail
—

Cost per candle: —. A common rule is about 2× cost for wholesale and 3–4× cost for direct sales.

Etsy sale (US seller rates)

Item price—
Listing fee—
Transaction fee, 6.5%—
Payment processing, 3% + $0.25—
Etsy fees—

Profit per sale
—
Break-even price
—
covers cost, shipping and fees

How the numbers are worked out

Supply costs are worked out per unit of weight, then multiplied by the amount in one candle. Wax at $45 for 10 lb is $0.28 per ounce, so 6 oz of wax costs $1.69.

Cost per candle = materials + (minutes ÷ 60 × hourly rate) + overhead
Profit on Etsy = price + shipping charged − Etsy fees − cost − shipping paid

Etsy fees use Etsy's published US seller rates: a $0.20 listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee on the item price plus shipping, and 3% + $0.25 for payment processing. Sellers outside the US pay a different processing rate, and sales tax and currency conversion are not included. Check Etsy's fees and payments policy for your country.

For the reasoning behind multipliers and what to include in your cost, read how to price handmade candles.