How Much Does It Cost to Make Candles: The Breakdown

The enjoyable and note-worthy hobby of candle making does not come with a small price. If you are to cross over from hobby candle making to a profit-making one, you need a proper breakdown of all the expenses you’ll encounter in your candle making journey. These expenses include all the essential ingredients, the tools and equipment, and additional design materials for your candle.

Making your candles would cost around $3-$5 per candle based only on simple candles’ ingredient costs without much decoration. If you are a new candle maker with no tools and equipment, it would be more expensive as you would need to purchase all materials needed in candle making. 

This article talks about the breakdown of all the expenses you’ll have in candle making. The article will dig deep into why you need to purchase these materials that may seem irrelevant but would make a huge difference and success when used in your candles. We will also discuss why each made it to the list of expenses, their role in the candle making process, and some alternatives for you. 

The Essential Ingredients in Candle Making: Cost Breakdown

This section discussing the cost of essential ingredients in candle making comes first for a reason. Simply put, we cannot produce any candle without these ingredients, especially the two main components of a candle, the wax and the wick. 

Candle Making Wax: A Variety of Choices

In candle making, many waxes have evolved from just the oldest known beeswax and paraffin wax to the now well-used soy and palm wax. There are also a variety of wax blends available on the market which offer great performance in candle burning. Let us know your choices when it comes to candle wax and their respective market prices. 

Soy Wax: The Eco-Friendly Wax Choice

If you are looking for a healthy candle wax that is 100% all-natural and eco-friendly, soy wax would be a perfect choice. Soy wax is a product of the soybean industry and is known for creating healthy and slow-burning natural candles. Its fragrance hold is exceptional, making it perfect for scented container candles.

Natural waxes are expensive, as their production costs a lot, and they are specifically processed to be candle wax. Depending on the wax brand, you can buy a kilogram of soy wax for $17 or more. 

Beeswax: An Old But Gold Candle Making Wax

The oldest candle making wax, beeswax, is produced during the honey-making process. Beeswax, characterized by its yellow or brown color,  is another versatile wax that caters to various candle types such as pillars, container candles, votives, tealights, tapers, and tart candles.

Beeswax is one of the most expensive candle making waxes on the market. This is because of its low supply, as producing beeswax requires thousands of honeybees to roam around, looking for pollen. This wax is also not present every season, so the high demand in the market makes for its high price. Starting price for beeswax is $21 per kilogram. 

Palm Wax: A More Expensive Alternative

Palm wax is another 100% all-natural wax produced by hydrogenating palm oils. This wax allows you to create various candles with a unique texture, a trait known for palm wax. You can create pillars or container candles with crystallizing patterns on the candle’s surface and small candles like votives and tarts.

However, the yellow wax will be hard to color, as it originally has its own. You can find this wax on the market for $16 per kilogram. 

Paraffin Wax: The Versatile Candle Making Wax

One of the most trusted waxes in the industry is paraffin wax, a by-product of the oil refinery industry. The wax is known for its versatility and various melting points, perfect for many candle types like pillars, container candles, votives, tealights, tapers, and tart candles.

Paraffin wax is odorless and accepts fragrances and color dyes well. If these are all jackpot traits, wait until you know its price. The wax is considered the cheapest wax in the market because of its easy and massive production. 

You can purchase a kilogram of paraffin wax for only $10 or less, depending on the price offered by different manufacturers. 

Gel Wax: The See-Through Candle Base

Gel wax is a great alternative in candle making, made from mineral oil and polymer resin. This is not wax, but you can make see-through candles with it or embedded-object gel candles.

The transparent wax is perfect for container candles and holds wick and additives like fragrances and color dyes very well, just like how standard paraffin wax does. This jelly-textured candle wax can be purchased in any candle making shop or online at $16. 

Rapeseed Wax: With Great Fragrance Retention

Rapeseed wax is an alternative all-natural wax that is cheaper than soy wax or beeswax. The new candle making wax offers great fragrance retention and scent throw with an extended burn time.

This wax is highly suitable for container and pillar candles with white or beige colors. You can purchase rapeseed wax starting at $10 per kilogram. 

Wax Blends: A Mix of Candle Waxes

Wax blends are two or more candle making wax mixed to create a signature blend with the traits that a brand wants in its candle. One good example is a soy and paraffin blend. As a result, the candle burns strong because of the paraffin content and has an eco-friendly base with soy wax. 

Most waxes are paired with paraffin to enhance the burning performance of the candles. Other waxes you can mix and match are beeswax or palm wax, depending on each wax’s strong points.

The price of wax blends varies depending on the manufacturer who made the blend. 

Candlewick: The Candle’s Anchor

Aside from the wax, candlewick is another essential ingredient in candle making. It is the component that burns the candle, producing flame and light. Without it, the candle would never light. Likewise, if not chosen properly, the candlewick may also disturb the burning of your candles. Here are some candlewick recommendations for you. 

Cotton Wicks: An Efficient Candle Wick Choice

Cotton wicks may be the most common candlewick you’ll encounter. They are easy to work with and less likely to extinguish when exposed to strong winds. Cotton wicks are also characterized by their efficiency in lighting and relighting, so you won’t be worried if your candle stays a little too long without being lit. 

However, cotton wicks are known to mushroom or curl at their end because of the carbon buildup it produces while burning the candle. Nevertheless, cotton wicks are still widely utilized and make perfect burning candles. 

A pre-waxed six-inch cotton wick with 100 pieces in a pack costs around $8 on Amazon. 

Wooden Wicks: Get That Crackling Sound on Your Candles

Wooden wicks are an all-natural choice for candlewicks. They burn cleaner and produce a small amount of ashes at the tip of the wick, but nothing to worry about as this would not affect the candle’s burning performance. When lit, it will give you a nice crackling sound, like lighting up a fireplace. 

The natural wicks are the best choice for wider candles, providing you with the best scent throw with a hint of wood scent and are more sustainable than cotton wicks. You can purchase a 100-piece wooden wicks pack on Amazon for $12.99.

Hemp Wicks: A Rigid Candle Wick Perfect for Tapers

Hemp wicks are known for their rigid composition with thick, long, and waxy bodies coated with beeswax. They burn slower and hotter than other wicks, making them last longer. A pre-waxed organic hemp candlewick is sold on Amazon for $6.99 for 50 pieces. 

Fragrance Oils and Essences: Best for Scented Candles

Fragrance oils and essential oils are what give life to your scented candles. This section will give recommendations on the best fragrances and essences you can purchase to ensure a mood-lifting and refreshing candle scent. 

Best Fragrance Oils in the Market: Bring Fragrance to Your Candles

Fragrance oils are synthetic substances specifically manufactured in a laboratory to provide scents to candles. They are generally a cheaper choice compared to essential oils, providing varied refreshing scents to your scented candles. Here are some of the best fragrance oils on the market.

Barnhouse Blue Tropical Bliss Fragrance Oil Set is the scent to choose for those who want tropical scents to fill their home. This set comprises tropical fruit-inspired fragrance oils consisting of honeydew melon, pineapple, coconut cream, pear, mango, and tropical passion fruit. The oil set of six can be purchased online or at any candle store for $17. 

Lagunamoon Fragrance Oil Set comes with 16 unique and classic scents of ylang-ylang, Forrester, sandalwood, black orchid, rosemary, parma violet, peppermint, lily, sea breeze, jasmine, honeysuckle, cinnamon, ginger, gardenia, fresh linen, and freesia. With endless possibilities of fragrances, this set would give you the best scented candles, all at the affordable price of $29. 

Kiehl’s Original Musk Oil is described as a soft and clean fragrance with its unisex scent. It combines the refreshing bergamot nectar, orange blossom, rose, lily, ylang-ylang, neroli, tonka nut, white patchouli, and musk, creating its signature fragrance. You can purchase this 14 ml scent for $35.

Best Essential Oils in the Market: Perfect for Natural Candles

Essential oils are made from natural ingredients and come with some medicinal benefits. They are often used in aromatherapy candles and are generally pricier than other scents. Here are some of the best essential oils you can purchase for your candles. 

Lavender essential oil is a highly popular scent for candles because of its amazing performance in aromatherapy candles. It promotes calmness leading you to sound sleep, making it one of the best essential oils for candles. A 10 ml bottle costs $2.99, and a bigger 120 ml is available at $13.99. 

Another common essence present in many aromatherapy candles is peppermint essential oil. It has a pleasing and refreshing scent with a cool and calming sensation, perfect for reducing anxiety and stress. The fragrance oil is available at 10 ml for $2.99 and 120 ml for $7.99. 

Rosemary essential oil is more on the floral scent and is a favorite for candle makers. It has stress and tension-reducing components, which also promote clarity and concentration. Candles with rosemary scents are perfect for study tables and reading areas. This scent is available at 10 ml for $2.99 and 120 ml for $16.99. 

Candle Coloring: Give Life to Your Candles

The use of candle coloring achieves vibrant and lively candles. These come in many forms and are dependent on the candle type you are producing. They range from ingredients you can find at home to substances specifically manufactured for coloring candles.

Food Coloring: A Surprising Candle Colorant

It’s surprising to know that the coloring you use for your favorite dessert would just be as good as a candle colorant. Food coloring is ultra-concentrated, economical, and comes with various exciting colors to choose from. 

However, food coloring contains water and propylene glycol, which don’t bond well with candle wax. But if you are looking for a cheaper alternative, this is the way to go. A food coloring set of 12 in Amazon costs around $18.95 or lower, depending on the manufacturer and brand. 

Crayons: For All Your DIY Candle Projects

DIY candle enthusiasts love using crayons in their candles. Not only are they great colors, but they are also inexpensive, or you can just use the old crayons lying in your art box and not spend a dollar at all. 

Candle Dyes: The Safest Choice for Candle Colorant

The safest option for candle coloring, with no negative effects on the candle performance, and is specifically made for candles, the candle dyes. These dyes come in different forms, such as liquid dyes, dye blocks, or color chips and flakes. 

Candle dyes are water-soluble and provide the best coloring to candles. Liquid dyes are great for mixing colors and perfect for bright-colored candles. Dye blocks, chips, and flakes would best produce pastel shades.

A 24-color liquid dye set is available at $16.14, while a 20-color chip dye can be purchased for as low as $15.99. You can also find a dye block set of 24 for $14.84. 

Natural Dyes: Enriched with the Nutrients of Nature

Natural dyes are a great way to color candles. Extracting natural dyes requires a very simple process of placing the ingredient in a cloth and letting it seep through it to the candle wax. If you are a fan of natural candles, you’ll surely love incorporating another fresh round of ingredients into your candle. 

There are many sources of natural dyes, and the good news is they do not need to be expensive. In fact, you can just pick them up from your garden or your neighbor’s. Natural dyes can be extracted from spices like cinnamon, cloves, and paprika.

Herbs are also a great source of colors, including carrots, chamomile, sage, green tea, and many more. Floral colors may be extracted from rosehips, pink rose, safflower, and saffron. 

Fruits, nuts, and vegetables are other alternative sources of candle colors. You can find them in annatto, black walnut, poppy seeds, and many more. 

Price List for Materials in Candle Making: All the Candle Accessories You Need

If you are new to candle making, you’re probably wondering what materials you need to purchase to make candles. Here is a list for you and its market price to guide you with your budgeting. 

Candle Containers: Choosing the Best that Fits Your Candle Type

It is essential to know that when choosing a candle container, the material should be heatproof, non-flammable, and non-porous, as it will hold hot melted wax. You should also ensure that it never leaks, cracks, or catches fire when in contact with the hot melted wax. Here are some suggested candle containers for you.

Teacups: You May Have One Lying in Your Kitchen! 

Teacups are a very common candle container that everyone loves. Not only are they vintage-looking, but they are easier to work with for producing smaller candles. If you have one lying in your kitchen, it is unnecessary to purchase it. You can also find one on Amazon for as low as $12.99. 

Ceramic Containers: A Wide Range of Choices

Ceramic coffee cups, mugs, or bowls are other candle containers to save you money. You see, these containers are generally found at home and are probably used daily. For ceramic containers, the price varies depending on the size and style, but you can have one for as low as $10. 

Highball Glasses: For Your Fashionable Slender Candles

Highball glasses are mostly used to produce tall and slender candles of various styles. The clear glass makes it easier to incorporate many designs on the candle and is perfect for colored candles. You can purchase a set of eight glasses at Amazon for $26. 

Jelly Jars: An Efficient Container Alternative

Jelly jars or mason jars are one efficient container for candles. They have thick glass walls that can withstand heat, a perfect shape that provides balance for candles, and are inexpensive. You can even use your old jelly jars at home and never spend a buck for this. But if you want to purchase a set of 24 jars with a lid for $25.9.

Sealed Tins: A Lightweight Alternative

A lightweight alternative to glass jars is sealed tins, often used in scented container candles. Metal tins are more durable than glass and come at a lower price. A set of 16 metal tins would only cost $14.99 on Amazon. 

Candle Molds: For All Your Unique Candle Designs

Candle molds are perfect materials for creating unique designs in candles, and there are endless shapes and sizes available in the market. They can be cylinders for pillar candles, pine-shaped for tapers, round ball-shaped for smaller candles, or a mold set complete with unique shapes. Prices start at $10 and could go higher or lower depending on the size and number of pieces purchased.

Candle Sealant: Never Let Your Wax Leak from the Mold

A candle sealant or a candle mold sealer is used to make a tight seal along the sides of a candle mold to prevent leaking when poured with hot wax. It is a slightly sticky substance, usually white, designed to cover weak spots on your mold, and is water-resistant. You may find them at any local candle store for $9.  

Wick Holders: Keep Them Straight and Stable

Before pouring the hot melted wax, securing your wick into the container needs the use of wick holders. If the wick is not kept straight, the burning performance of the candle would be most affected. As wicks are not solid enough to stand on their own, they need a holder to stabilize them in the container and the pouring and cooling process.

You can choose between a metal or wooden wick holder, which works just the same and comes at $8 to $15, depending on the number purchased. 

Pouring Pot: Avoid Wax Splatters and Burned Skin

A candle making pouring pot is an essential tool for candle makers, especially when making many candles at a time. This is commonly made of stainless steel material with excellent heat resistance. The spout makes it easier to pour the hot melted wax into the container with minimal to no spillage. A set complete with a stirrer and some wick holders is available for $18. 

Tools and Equipment in Candle Making: Your Partner for Every Candle Project

Here are the tools and equipment you’ll need in candle making, mostly concerning the heating process of your chosen candle wax. These tools play a big part in candle making and should be chosen wisely to produce well-burning candles.

Double Boiler: A Staple in Candle Making

You probably have seen one of these lying in your kitchen sink, used by your grandma when melting your favorite chocolate. In the same way, a double boiler is used to melt the candle wax, preventing any moisture from mixing into it. Since a double boiler is a staple in houses, you may not need to purchase this. But if you don’t have one, you can check it out on Amazon for as low as $17.99.

Thermometer: Measure Specific Temperatures

The correct melting and pouring temperature are very important in ensuring the balanced burning of your candles. As each candle wax has varied melting points, it is essential to keep a thermometer with you to check from time to time. It is the safest to use a digital thermometer, providing accurate measurements rather than the older versions. Digital thermometers are available starting at $6.99.

Heat Source: Melting Your Candle Wax

You’ll also need a heat source to melt your candle wax, which can be a microwave oven or a gas range that is most likely present in your kitchen. 

Heat Gun: For Your Finishing Touches

You’ll use a heat gun in the finishing touches of your candles. Often, they are used to even out the top surface of the candle by reheating the wax. Other times you will need them to clear out wet spots in some of your candles and help trapped air bubbles escape from your candle container. If you’re looking for heat guns for candle making, this article might help you choose the best value for price in the market. 

Weighing Scale: Exact Measurements are Essential

Digital weighing scales are significant in measuring the right amount of ingredients for your candles. Using tablespoons or measuring cups is not enough and may not give a specific measurement than using a digital scale. 

Furthermore, fragrance oils may mess up with your candle when added excessively, so they need to be measured precisely using a scale. Amazon will give you tons of choices, but the price usually ranges from $8 to $30. 

Candlewick Trimmer: Not Your Ordinary Candlewick Cutter

A pair of scissors can trim any wick. But as the candle burns, it may be harder for scissors to reach the wick and cut them. In that case, you can use nail clippers or a special wick trimmer made for candles. You can purchase it on Amazon for $9 only. 

Conclusion 

There are still some materials in candle making that are not included here. But if you have these primary ingredients and supplies I mentioned above, you’ll be sure to make quality candles and turn them into profit in no time. Using alternatives that come at lower prices would help you save some money while still producing well-burning quality candles for your home or business. 

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