Fragrance Load Calculator
Work out fragrance oil grams from a load percentage, or reverse it to check the load percentage of an amount you already added.
Most soy waxes run well at 6 to 10%, and most waxes cap out around 10 to 12%. Check your specific wax's rated maximum fragrance load before you plan a batch above 10%. Add fragrance oil at the temperature your wax maker recommends, not straight into a hot pour; exceeding the rated load can cause sweating and a flame that flares too high.
How it works
Fragrance load is just the fragrance oil's weight as a percentage of the wax weight, not the total batch weight. Enter your wax amount and pick a load percentage on the slider, and the calculator multiplies the two to give you grams of fragrance oil to add. There's also a reverse mode: if you already poured a batch and added fragrance by feel, type in that gram amount and the wax weight, and it works backward to tell you what load percentage you actually landed on.
Worked example: 500 g of wax at an 8% load. The calculator does 500 × 8 ÷ 100 and gets 40 g of fragrance oil, for a total batch weight of 540 g once the wax and fragrance are combined. If you instead measured out 40 g of fragrance into that same 500 g of wax without doing the math first, switching to reverse mode confirms you landed on exactly 8%.
FAQ
What load percentage should I use?
Most soy waxes perform well in the 6 to 10% range, giving a good scent throw without overloading the wax. Start in the middle of that range on your first batch and adjust based on the test burn. Always check the maximum load your specific wax is rated for before going higher.
What happens if I go over the rated load?
Exceeding your wax's rated fragrance load can cause the oil to separate out as the candle cures (sweating), leave wet spots, and make the flame burn hotter and flare instead of staying steady. More fragrance oil isn't automatically a stronger scent throw. It can just be an unstable candle.
Does it matter when I add the fragrance?
Yes. Add fragrance oil at the temperature your wax maker recommends (often a bit below full melt), then stir thoroughly before pouring. Adding it too hot burns off some of the scent before it ever gets into the wax.
Do the wax and fragrance weights need a scale, or can I use volume?
Use a scale. Fragrance oils vary in density, so measuring by volume (like a teaspoon) gives an inconsistent load from batch to batch. A cheap kitchen scale that reads in grams is worth the cost.
For more on getting fragrance right, see how much fragrance oil to add to candles, flashpoint and IFRA limits for fragrance safety, and when to add fragrance oil to candle wax.