Candle wax chart by jar size
How much wax every common vessel takes, in grams and ounces. Sizes are given both ways — a jar sold as 8 oz and one sold as 240 ml are the same vessel. Pick your size for the full workings, or read the whole chart below.
2 oz / 60 ml votive
49 g (1.7 oz) of soy
4 oz / 120 ml jar or tin
97 g (3.4 oz) of soy
6 oz / 180 ml jar or tin
146 g (5.1 oz) of soy
8 oz / 240 ml jar
194 g (6.9 oz) of soy
9 oz / 270 ml status jar
219 g (7.7 oz) of soy
10 oz / 300 ml jar
243 g (8.6 oz) of soy
12 oz / 360 ml jar
292 g (10.3 oz) of soy
14 oz / 420 ml tumbler
340 g (12 oz) of soy
16 oz / 480 ml three-wick jar
389 g (13.7 oz) of soy
The full chart, in soy
Every figure assumes a 90% fill, which leaves normal headspace, and soy at 0.9 g/ml. Swap either of those and the numbers move — the per-size pages show by how much.
| Vessel | Capacity | Wax per candle | In ounces |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 oz votive | 60 ml | 49 g | 1.7 oz |
| 4 oz jar or tin | 120 ml | 97 g | 3.4 oz |
| 6 oz jar or tin | 180 ml | 146 g | 5.1 oz |
| 8 oz jar | 240 ml | 194 g | 6.9 oz |
| 9 oz status jar | 270 ml | 219 g | 7.7 oz |
| 10 oz jar | 300 ml | 243 g | 8.6 oz |
| 12 oz jar | 360 ml | 292 g | 10.3 oz |
| 14 oz tumbler | 420 ml | 340 g | 12 oz |
| 16 oz three-wick jar | 480 ml | 389 g | 13.7 oz |
The same chart, by wax type
Grams per candle at a 90% fill. Beeswax is the outlier: about 6% more wax by weight for exactly the same candle, purely because it is denser.
| Vessel | Soy | Coconut soy blend | Paraffin | Beeswax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 oz | 49 g | 50 g | 49 g | 52 g |
| 4 oz | 97 g | 99 g | 97 g | 103 g |
| 6 oz | 146 g | 149 g | 146 g | 155 g |
| 8 oz | 194 g | 199 g | 194 g | 207 g |
| 9 oz | 219 g | 224 g | 219 g | 233 g |
| 10 oz | 243 g | 248 g | 243 g | 259 g |
| 12 oz | 292 g | 298 g | 292 g | 310 g |
| 14 oz | 340 g | 348 g | 340 g | 362 g |
| 16 oz | 389 g | 397 g | 389 g | 414 g |
Reading these numbers
The single most common mistake in candle making is treating the size printed on a vessel as a weight. It is not. A jar sold as 8 oz holds 8 fluid ounces — a volume — and wax is bought by mass. Those two only coincide for water.
The second mistake is trusting a one-number shortcut. Plenty of guides tell you to multiply the vessel size by 0.86 and stop. That factor has a fill level and a wax density folded into it, neither of which is stated, so it happens to work for soy poured nearly to the brim and quietly fails for everything else. Every chart here keeps the two apart, which is why beeswax and a 100% pour both come out right.
For a vessel with no printed capacity — a teacup, a vintage tin, an odd mould — fill it with water to the pour line, weigh that water, and read the grams as millilitres. The full guide walks through it, and the wax calculator takes a custom size directly.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out how much wax a jar needs?+
Multiply the jar's brim capacity by your fill level, then by the density of the wax. A 240 ml jar poured to 90% full in soy at 0.9 g/ml is 240 × 0.9 × 0.9, which is about 194 g. Doing it in that order keeps the fill level and the density separate, which single-figure rules do not.
Why is the wax weight always less than the jar size?+
Two reasons stacked on each other. Jar sizes are volumes and wax is sold by weight, and wax is lighter than water at around 0.9 g per ml. Then you leave headspace rather than pouring to the brim. Together those take roughly 20% off the number printed on the vessel.
Is the 0.86 rule accurate?+
Only for soy in a standard container poured near the brim. The 0.86 figure has both a density and a fill level folded into it, so it is wrong for beeswax, which is denser, and wrong for any pour that leaves proper headspace. The charts here keep the two apart so you can see which one is moving.
How full should I pour a candle jar?+
Around 90% of brim capacity is the usual target. That leaves the wick clear of the rim, gives a lid somewhere to sit, and stops liquid wax spilling if the jar is moved before it sets.
Does fragrance oil count towards the wax weight?+
No. Fragrance load is measured as a percentage of the wax weight, so a 194 g pour at 8% takes 194 g of wax plus 15.5 g of oil. The oil does add to the finished volume though, so at high loads a vessel measured for wax alone can end up slightly overfilled.
How much wax should I order for a batch?+
Take the per-candle figure, multiply by the batch size, then add about 5%. Wax stays behind in the melt pot and the pouring jug every time, and a batch melted to the exact figure leaves the last jar short.