Is It Cheaper To Make Your Own Candle

When thinking about making your own candles, a lot of people consider the cost involved, and ask the question, is it cheaper to make your own candles, rather than buying them from the store?

We will look at the costs involved with making candles, and why it is impossible to compare a handmade candle to that of one in a store. The best analogy would be that it is like comparing apples to oranges in most cases, due to the low quality of most store bought candles.

To work out if it is cheaper, we first need to work out what it will cost to make a typical candle.

The cost of the wax will be around £5.30 for 1kg of wax, this is enough to make 6 20cl candles, so per candle it costs £0.88. A 20cl clear candle glass costs £0.83. A pack of 10 wicks costs £1.20, making the price per wick £0.12. Finally the fragrance oil costs £5.99 and this will be enough for 3 to 4 candles, so per candle we can estimate that to be around £1.70. This brings the final cost to £3.53.

For a comparable candle, using the highest quality materials, you will be looking at paying in excess of £20 from any reputable brand, making it significantly cheaper to make your own candles. Once you start making candles in volume, you can then purchase the materials in larger volume which will further bring down the cost.

You should also factor your time in when making candles, work out how long it takes to make a batch of x amount of candles, then divide your hourly rate by that number and add it to the final candle cost.

If you start to sell candles for a living, you will also have to factor in items like insurance, website costs, advertising, market fees and much more.

A vital component of this, is sourcing your candle making supplies from a quality, affordable source like Scents Soaps and Candles. So you can make high quality candles, for a very affordable price. This then leaves plenty of room to make profit when you sell your candles.