Candle Pricing Calculator

Turn a candle production cost into a retail price, a wholesale price and a premium price, with the profit at each.

Candle pricing has three answers, not one: what you charge at a market, what a shop pays wholesale, and what a gift box version can carry. This calculator starts from your production cost per candle and works out all three, so you can see whether the wholesale price still leaves a profit before you agree to it.

At a glance

What you enter: Materials per candle, Minutes of work per candle, Your hourly rate, Overhead per candle, Retail margin, Wholesale margin, Premium uplift
What you get: Production cost per candle, Retail price, Wholesale price, Premium price, Profit at retail, Profit at wholesale, Profit per hour at retail
Formula shown: Yes, every step, right below your results.
Cost and privacy: Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.

See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓

Materials per candle USD

Take this from the candle cost calculator.

Minutes of work per candle min

Include pouring, wicking, cleaning, labelling and packing.

Your hourly rate USD/h

Overhead per candle USD

Electricity, tools, failed test pours and samples.

Retail margin %

Wholesale margin %

Premium uplift %

How much more a gift box or limited version sells for.

Reset

Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.

How to use the Candle Pricing Calculator

1 Enter Materials per candle (USD), Take this from the candle cost calculator.
2 Enter Minutes of work per candle (min), Include pouring, wicking, cleaning, labelling and packing.
3 Enter Your hourly rate (USD/h)
4 Enter Overhead per candle (USD), Electricity, tools, failed test pours and samples.
5 Enter Retail margin (%)
6 Enter Wholesale margin (%)
7 Enter Premium uplift (%), How much more a gift box or limited version sells for.
8 Press Calculate. You get Production cost per candle, Retail price, Wholesale price, Premium price, Profit at retail, Profit at wholesale, Profit per hour at retail, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
9 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.

Worked examples

Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.

Eight ounce soy jar at a market

Materials of 3.50, eight minutes of work at 15 dollars an hour, and 30 cents of overhead.

You enter

Materials per candle: $3.50
Minutes of work per candle: 8 min
Your hourly rate: $15.00
Overhead per candle: $0.30
Retail margin: 60%
Wholesale margin: 40%
Premium uplift: 35%

You get

Production cost per candle: $5.80
Retail price: $14.50
Wholesale price: $9.67
Premium price: $19.58
Profit at retail: $8.70
Profit at wholesale: $3.87
Profit per hour at retail: $65.25

A production cost near 5.80 gives a retail price near 14.50 and a wholesale price near 9.70.

Open this example in the calculator →

Wholesale run for a shop

Cheaper materials and a faster process, still allowing for your time.

You enter

Materials per candle: $2.40
Minutes of work per candle: 5 min
Your hourly rate: $12.00
Overhead per candle: $0.20
Retail margin: 55%
Wholesale margin: 45%
Premium uplift: 20%

You get

Production cost per candle: $3.60
Retail price: $8.00
Wholesale price: $6.55
Premium price: $9.60
Profit at retail: $4.40
Profit at wholesale: $2.95
Profit per hour at retail: $52.80

At a 45 percent wholesale margin the shop pays about 6.55, which is a thin but real profit.

Open this example in the calculator →

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Frequently asked questions

How much should I charge for a candle?

Work from cost and then check the market. A candle that costs 5.80 to produce at a 60 percent margin sells for 14.50, which is in line with many mid range handmade candles. If comparable candles near you sell for 12, either your costs are too high, your hourly rate is too generous, or your margin has to come down, and it is much better to know that before you print a price list.

What is the difference between margin and markup?

A markup is added to cost; a margin is a share of the selling price. Doubling a 5.80 cost is a 100 percent markup but only a 50 percent margin. Once a marketplace or a card processor takes a fee from the sale, only the margin tells you what fraction of the money you keep, which is why pricing tools work in margins.

What should my wholesale price be?

Commonly about half of retail, which lines up with a 40 to 50 percent margin if your production cost is low enough. If your cost is 5.80 and a shop wants to pay 7, you are working for almost nothing on every unit. Agree the wholesale price from the arithmetic rather than from what the buyer hopes to pay, and walk away from orders that only break even.

Should I pay myself for the time?

Yes, even at a modest rate. Labour is often the largest single cost in a hand poured candle, and leaving it out means every sale quietly subsidises the customer. If the market will not pay a price that covers your time, that is a signal to change the product, the process or the market rather than to work for free.