Why does my candle smell weak at a 10% fragrance load?

Usually cure time rather than load. Soy candles need one to two weeks for the fragrance to bind into the wax. Other causes are a fragrance not formulated for the wax, a wick too small to build a full melt pool, or adding oil at too low a temperature.

Fragrance Load Calculator for Candles

Q: How much fragrance oil per pound of wax?

At a 6 percent load, roughly 27 g (0.96 oz) per pound. At 8 percent, about 36 g (1.28 oz). At 10 percent, about 45 g (1.6 oz). A pound of wax is 453.6 g, so multiply that by your load percentage.

Q: What is a normal fragrance load for soy candles?

Between 6 and 10 percent, with 8 percent the most common starting point. Most soy container waxes are rated to hold up to 10 percent, and some blends up to 12 percent.

How this is calculated

Which formula applies depends entirely on what the percentage is measured against, and the two give different answers for the same stated number.

share of wax: fragrance = wax × load total = wax + fragrance share of total: fragrance = wax × load ÷ (1 − load) total = wax ÷ (1 − load)

Under the first convention, an 8% load on 1,000 g of wax is 80 g of oil and 1,080 g of finished candle. Under the second, the same stated 8% is 87 g of oil and 1,087 g finished - because the percentage has to still hold once the oil is counted in the denominator.

Worked example

1,000 g of soy wax at an 8% load, measured as a share of wax weight:

Fragrance: 1,000 × 0.08 = 80 g - 2.82 oz
Finished weight: 1,000 + 80 = 1,080 g
Actual share of total: 80 ÷ 1,080 = 7.41%

Which convention should you use?

Share of wax weight, unless you have a specific reason not to. It's what most US suppliers mean, it's how fragrance manufacturers publish maximum loads, and it's the simpler number at the bench - weigh your wax, multiply, pour.

Share of total shows up more in soap and cosmetics, where formulations are conventionally written as percentages of a batch summing to 100. If you've come to candles from that side, check which your wax supplier means before scaling a recipe up.

A wax's published maximum is a ceiling, not a target. Exceeding it doesn't produce a stronger candle - the excess oil separates out, pools at the top, and becomes a fire risk. If a fragrance seems weak at maximum load, the fix is a different fragrance or a longer cure, not more oil.

Common questions

How much fragrance oil per pound of wax?

At 6%, roughly 27 g - 0.96 oz - per pound. At 8%, about 36 g or 1.28 oz. At 10%, about 45 g or 1.6 oz. A pound of wax is 453.6 g, so multiply that by your load percentage.

What is a normal fragrance load for soy candles?

Between 6% and 10%, with 8% the most common starting point. Most soy container waxes are rated to hold up to 10%, and some blends up to 12%. Paraffin generally holds more than soy; coconut blends often hold the most.

Why does my candle smell weak at 10%?

Usually cure time rather than load. Soy candles need one to two weeks for the fragrance to bind fully into the wax, and testing before then reliably under-reads the throw. Other causes: a fragrance not formulated for the wax, a wick too small to build a full melt pool, or adding oil at too low a temperature.

Can I go above the maximum fragrance load?

Not usefully. Wax holds only so much oil in suspension; beyond that the excess separates rather than adding scent. It shows up as an oily film on the surface, poor adhesion to the vessel, and an unsafe burn.

Fragrance load calculator