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Free Candle Inventory Spreadsheet

Track Every Pour — Free Candle Inventory Template

Download our FREE candle inventory spreadsheet to track wax, wicks, fragrance oils, containers, batch recipes, fragrance load calculations, and cost per candle for your candle making business.

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Free candle inventory spreadsheet for candle makers
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Stop guessing what you have in stock and what each candle actually costs to make

If you're tracking candle inventory in your head or on scattered sticky notes — knowing roughly how much wax you have left, guessing when to reorder wicks, and hoping your fragrance oil doesn't run out mid-batch — you're not alone. But here's the thing: when you don't have visibility into your real inventory levels and costs, it's impossible to scale without chaos.

This free candle inventory spreadsheet helps you track everything that goes into making candles — from wax and wicks to fragrance oils, dyes, containers, and labels. It calculates batch costs, fragrance load percentages, per-unit COGS, and inventory values so you can see exactly what you have on hand and what each candle costs to produce.

  • Material tracking for wax, wicks, fragrance oils, dyes, containers, labels
  • Batch recipe management with material usage per candle
  • Fragrance load calculations (oz per lb of wax, percentage)
  • Per-unit cost tracking (COGS per candle)
  • Stock status and reorder point alerts
  • Compatible with Excel, Numbers, and Google Sheets

Perfect for home candle makers, cottage candle businesses, and small candle companies who want to get serious about inventory without investing in software yet.

Track Every Material

Know exactly how much wax, fragrance oil, and wicks you have on hand. See when you're running low on containers or labels before you run out mid-production.

Calculate Batch Costs

Track material usage for each candle recipe. Know exactly how much wax, fragrance, and dye goes into each batch, and what it costs per unit to produce.

Fragrance Load Tracking

Calculate fragrance load percentages per candle type. Document how many ounces of fragrance per pound of wax you're using for consistent scent throw.

Ready to get your candle inventory under control?

Our free spreadsheet template helps you track every wax, wick, and fragrance — so you can stop guessing and start growing.

Download the free spreadsheet ↑

Excel, Numbers & Google Sheets compatible

How to Use the Candle Inventory Spreadsheet

This candle inventory spreadsheet is designed to help you track the complete lifecycle of your candle business — from raw materials to finished products. It's perfect for candle makers who need organized inventory data without the complexity of full inventory software.

To get started, if you haven't already downloaded the spreadsheet, enter your email address above. You'll receive a link to download the file as a zip. Once unzipped, you can open it in Excel, Numbers, or upload it to Google Sheets.

Important note: Some columns are calculated automatically and should not be edited manually. These are typically marked with a light turquoise background color.

1

Material Inventory

This is your master materials list — everything you use to make candles. For each material (wax, wicks, fragrance oils, dyes, containers, lids, labels), you'll track key details including an optional SKU, description, stock status (auto-calculated), starting quantity, inventory value, and preferred vendor.

Name
A clear identifier for each material (e.g., "Golden Brands 464 Soy Wax", "ECO 14 Wick", "Lavender Vanilla Fragrance Oil", "8oz Glass Jar - Amber").
On Hand Qty
How much of this material you currently have in stock. Update this regularly through cycle counting or after each production run.
Unit Cost
What you paid per unit of this material. This should be the fully landed cost — including shipping and any bulk discounts. For example, if you bought 50 lbs of wax for $150 including shipping, your unit cost is $3.00/lb.
Tracking Unit
How you measure this material. Examples: "lbs" for wax, "oz" for fragrance oil, "each" for wicks, jars, or labels. Use the same unit you manufacture with to make batch costing easier.

By keeping this list up to date, you'll have a master reference for all material costs. When prices change, update them here and your batch costs will automatically reflect the new numbers.

2

Personal Use

This tab tracks materials you've taken out of business inventory for personal use — test burns you kept, candles you gifted to family, or samples you used for your own home. Logging this ensures you're not claiming personal usage as a business expense.

Date Removed
When you took this material out of inventory for personal use.
Name
The name of the material removed from inventory, along with optional SKU and description for identification.
Quantity Used
How many units you removed. For example, if you took 2 lbs of wax for testing, enter "2".
Total Cost
Automatically calculated based on unit cost and quantity. This is how much the personal use withdrawal cost your business.
3

Purchases

This tab logs every material purchase you make throughout the year. By tracking purchases, you can see total expenses and calculate end-of-year inventory values for tax purposes. Create a separate row for each material in a purchase order — if you bought 50 lbs of wax, 10 lbs of fragrance oil, and 100 wicks from the same supplier, that's 3 rows.

Vendor & Date
Who you bought from (e.g., "CandleScience", "Lone Star Candle Supply") and when you ordered or received the materials.
Quantity Purchased
How many units you bought (e.g., 50 lbs of wax, 10 lbs of fragrance oil). Include item cost, SKU, and description for each line.
Shipping & Tax
Your proportional share of shipping and tax for this item. Allocate by weight, cost, or evenly — whatever makes sense for your order.
Landed Unit Cost
Automatically calculated. This is the true cost per unit including shipping and tax — the number you should use for pricing and profitability calculations.
4

Manufactures

This is where you log production runs — every time you pour a batch of candles. By tracking material usage per batch, you can calculate accurate costs per candle and understand your true margins. Log each material used in a batch as a separate row for precise tracking.

Product Name
The candle you're making (e.g., "8oz Lavender Vanilla Soy Candle"), along with SKU and manufacture date.
Material Name
The material used in this batch (e.g., "Golden Brands 464 Soy Wax"), with SKU and unit cost from your Material Inventory tab.
Quantity Used
How much of this material you used in the batch. For example, if you poured 10 lbs of wax, enter "10". This is subtracted from your on-hand inventory.
Total Material Usage Cost
Automatically calculated (quantity used × unit cost). This is how much this material cost in this batch.

Pro tip for fragrance load tracking: When logging fragrance oil usage, note the fragrance load percentage you used. For example, if you poured 10 lbs of wax with 1.6 lbs of fragrance oil, that's a 10% fragrance load. Most soy candles use 6-10% fragrance load for good scent throw. Learn how to calculate fragrance load

5

Product Inventory

This tab tracks your finished candle inventory — candles that are poured, cured, labeled, and ready to sell. You'll see at a glance what you have in stock, what each candle costs to make, and the total value of your finished goods inventory. Additional fields include category, description, unit price, starting quantity, and stock status.

Name & SKU
Your product identifier (e.g., "LAV-8OZ" for an 8oz Lavender candle). Helpful for multichannel selling where SKUs keep products synced across platforms.
On Hand Qty
How many finished candles you currently have ready to sell. Update this after production runs and sales. Stock status is auto-calculated.
Manufacture Cost
How much it costs in materials to make one candle. Calculated from your Manufactures tab by adding up wax, fragrance, wick, container, lid, and label costs per unit.
Current Inventory Value
Automatically calculated. The total value of all on-hand units based on manufacture cost. This is your finished goods inventory value for this product.
6

Orders

This tab tracks all candle sales. By logging each sale and the associated cost of goods, you can calculate total revenue, COGS, and gross profit for the year. Create a separate row for each product in an order — if a customer bought 3 lavender candles and 2 vanilla candles, that's 2 rows.

Order Date & ID
When the order was placed and your unique order number (from Etsy, Shopify, your POS, or your own numbering system).
Quantity Sold
How many units of this product were in the order, along with SKU, name, and unit price for each line item.
Unit Manufacture Cost
The cost to make one candle (from your Product Inventory tab). This is your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) per unit.
Grand Total
Automatically calculated. The total revenue for this line item including tax and shipping. Also calculates total price and total manufacture cost.
7

Reports

This tab tallies up your key financial numbers for the year. Everything here is automatically calculated from the other tabs — do not edit these numbers manually.

Total Revenue
Sum of all sales for the year, pulled from your Orders tab.
Total Material Purchases
Sum of all material purchases for the year, pulled from your Purchases tab.
Total COGS
Total cost of goods sold — the manufacturing cost of all candles you sold during the period.
Inventory Values
Starting and ending inventory values for tax reporting, plus personal use deductions.

These numbers are what you'll need for tax time, bookkeeping, and understanding whether your candle business is actually profitable. Make sure your material unit costs are accurate — if you're using old prices or forgetting to include shipping, your profitability numbers will be off.

What is a Candle Inventory Spreadsheet?

A candle inventory spreadsheet is a structured document that helps candle makers track raw materials (wax, wicks, fragrance oils, containers), production batches, finished candle inventory, and sales. It's essentially a material and product tracking system tailored to the specific needs of candle businesses — tracking things like fragrance load percentages, wax types, wick sizes, and cost per candle.

Think of it as a combination of a material tracker, recipe costing tool, and sales log. For every candle you make, the spreadsheet helps you document what materials went into it, how much they cost, and what your profit margin is after selling. It also tracks on-hand inventory so you know when to reorder supplies before you run out mid-batch.

Unlike a simple stock count, a good candle inventory spreadsheet goes deeper — it tracks bills of materials (BOMs) for each candle recipe, calculates COGS per unit, and gives you inventory valuation numbers you need for tax reporting.

Why do candle makers need inventory tracking?

The most common reason candle makers hit a growth wall is poor inventory visibility. You think you have enough wax for the weekend market, but you're actually two pounds short. You reorder wicks only to find you already had a box buried in the closet. You price candles based on rough guesses instead of actual costs, and you're not sure if you're making money or just staying busy.

Inventory tracking solves this. With organized data, you know exactly what you have on hand, what you need to reorder, and what each candle costs to produce. This means:

No more stockouts mid-production.
You can see when fragrance oil is running low and reorder before you're stuck waiting on shipping during peak season.
Accurate pricing.
You know your real costs — wax, wick, fragrance, container, lid, label — so you can set prices that actually cover expenses and leave room for profit.
Better purchasing decisions.
Should you buy wax in 10-lb boxes or 50-lb cases? Is bulk fragrance oil worth it? With cost data, you can compare unit prices and make smarter buying choices.
Tax-ready COGS.
At year-end, you'll have accurate cost of goods sold (COGS) numbers for tax filing. No more scrambling through receipts in April.

And if you're running a profitable candle business — or trying to — you need to know your margins. That means tracking not just revenue, but costs per candle. A spreadsheet is the simplest way to start doing that.

What should a candle inventory spreadsheet track?

A comprehensive candle inventory spreadsheet should cover the full production cycle — from raw materials to finished products. At a minimum, it should include:

Material Inventory:
A master list of all materials — wax types (soy, paraffin, coconut, beeswax), wicks (cotton, wood, different sizes), fragrance oils, essential oils, dyes, containers, lids, labels. For each material, track on-hand quantity, unit cost, tracking unit (lbs, oz, each), and preferred vendor.
Purchase Tracking:
A log of every material purchase with date, vendor, quantity, cost, shipping, and tax. This gives you a full expense history and helps you calculate landed costs.
Production Log:
Record each candle batch you pour. List what candle you made, what date you poured it, and what materials you used. This is how you calculate cost per candle and track material depletion.
Finished Candle Inventory:
Track your ready-to-sell candles by product, quantity on hand, unit price, and manufacture cost. This is your finished goods inventory value.
Sales/Orders:
Log every sale with order date, product, quantity, price, and manufacture cost. This gives you revenue, COGS, and gross profit per sale.
Reports:
Calculated totals for revenue, expenses, COGS, inventory values, and profit. These are the numbers you need for taxes and to understand if your business is sustainable.

Beyond the basics, candle makers benefit from tracking fragrance load percentages, wax melt pool diameter, wick performance notes, and cure time tracking. Learn about different candle waxes

Why spreadsheets may not be enough as your candle business grows

A candle inventory spreadsheet is a great starting point — especially if you're making small batches for local markets or testing recipes. But as your business grows — more products, more orders, more sales channels — spreadsheets can become a bottleneck.

Here's what usually breaks first: You start selling on Etsy, then add Shopify, then start doing wholesale to local shops. Now you're tracking inventory across three channels manually. You sell 10 candles on Etsy, and you need to open the spreadsheet, find the product row, subtract 10, update the inventory value, and hope you didn't forget a formula somewhere.

Spreadsheets also struggle with cost accuracy. If you buy wax at different prices over time, calculating true COGS requires choosing a cost flow method — FIFO, LIFO, or weighted average. Most spreadsheets don't handle this well. You end up using rough average costs, which means your profitability numbers are estimates, not reality.

That's where candle inventory software like Craftybase comes in. Instead of manually tracking every material use, Craftybase does it automatically. When you log a purchase, it updates material costs and on-hand quantities. When you make a batch of candles, it deducts materials from inventory and calculates the cost based on your actual purchase prices using FIFO or weighted average costing. When you sync sales from Etsy or Shopify, it updates finished goods inventory and calculates COGS in real time.

Candle makers like Tiana from Winding Wick Candles made the switch from spreadsheets to Craftybase to solve problems like double-ordering fragrance oils, team collaboration issues, and bin location tracking for physical storefronts. The result: fewer mistakes, less time on admin, and more confidence in pricing and profitability.

When to switch from a spreadsheet to candle inventory software

If any of these sound familiar, it's probably time to move beyond spreadsheets:

  • You're spending more time updating the spreadsheet than pouring candles.
  • You're selling on multiple channels (Etsy, Shopify, farmers markets, wholesale) and can't keep inventory synced.
  • You've run out of materials mid-batch because the spreadsheet wasn't up to date.
  • You're not sure what your true COGS is because material costs keep changing and the spreadsheet can't handle FIFO or weighted average costing.
  • You're working with a team and need multiple people to access and update inventory without emailing spreadsheets back and forth.
  • You're ready to scale — doing wholesale, expanding product lines, or opening a retail space — and need inventory accuracy you can trust.

Craftybase is built for small batch candle makers who want the accuracy of real-time inventory tracking without enterprise complexity or cost. It tracks materials, recipes, production, and sales in one system. And because it's cloud-based, you can check stock levels from anywhere — whether you're at a market, in your pouring studio, or meeting with a wholesale buyer.

Candle Inventory Spreadsheet FAQ

To calculate cost per candle, list every material used in the recipe (wax, wick, fragrance oil, dye, container, lid, label) and determine the cost per unit. Multiply the quantity used by the unit cost for each material, then sum all material costs. For example, if you use 6 oz of wax at $0.30/oz, 1 wick at $0.25, 0.6 oz of fragrance at $1.50/oz, an 8oz jar at $1.20, a lid at $0.40, and a label at $0.30, your total cost is $3.85 per candle. Divide by the number of candles produced in the batch to get per-unit cost.

Fragrance load is the percentage of fragrance oil relative to the weight of wax in a candle. It's calculated as (ounces of fragrance ÷ pounds of wax) × 16. For example, if you use 1.6 oz of fragrance in 1 lb of wax, your fragrance load is 10%. Most soy candles use 6-10% fragrance load for good scent throw. You can track this in your spreadsheet by logging wax weight and fragrance weight per batch, then calculating the percentage. Learn more about calculating fragrance load

Set reorder points based on your typical usage rate and supplier lead time. For example, if you use 10 lbs of wax per week and your supplier takes 5 days to ship, set your reorder point at 15-20 lbs to give yourself a buffer. Track on-hand quantities in your spreadsheet and flag items that drop below your reorder point. For seasonal businesses, adjust reorder points based on anticipated demand (e.g., higher stock levels before holiday markets).

Yes — always track different wax types as separate materials. Each wax (soy 464, coconut 83, paraffin IGI 4627, beeswax) has different costs, properties, and uses. Even different grades or suppliers of the same wax type should be tracked separately if they have different costs. This ensures accurate cost calculations per candle and helps you maintain recipe consistency. Learn about different candle waxes

COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) for candles is the total material cost of all candles you sold during a period. It includes wax, wicks, fragrance oils, dyes, containers, lids, and labels — but not general business expenses like marketing, rent, or equipment. Calculate COGS by multiplying units sold by the manufacture cost per unit for each product, then summing across all products. For example, if you sold 50 lavender candles at $3.85 cost each and 30 vanilla candles at $4.10 cost each, your COGS is $315.50. This number is required for tax reporting and calculating gross profit. Learn more about COGS

Most successful candle businesses aim for 50-70% gross profit margins on direct-to-consumer sales. This means if a candle costs you $4 to make, you'd price it at $8-$13 retail. For wholesale, margins are typically tighter — around 40-50% — because you're selling at wholesale price (usually 50% of retail). Luxury or specialty candles can command higher margins, while commodity products may be lower. Your target margin should cover all business expenses (rent, utilities, marketing, labor) and still leave room for net profit.

Ideally, update inventory in real-time — log purchases when materials arrive, log production batches when you pour, and log sales when orders ship. In practice, most makers update weekly or after each market/production day. The more frequently you update, the more accurate your stock levels and cost data will be. If you're only updating monthly, you risk running out of materials or having stale cost data. For growing businesses, consider moving to automated inventory software that updates in real-time without manual entry.

Who Should Use This Candle Inventory Template?

This free candle inventory spreadsheet is designed for candle makers at any stage who need to organize their materials, track costs, and understand profitability.

Home candle makers transitioning to selling

If you've been making candles as a hobby and are now starting to sell at farmers markets, craft fairs, or online, this template helps you move from hobby pricing to business pricing. You'll learn what it actually costs to make each candle and how to set prices that cover materials and leave room for profit.

Etsy and Shopify candle sellers

If you're selling candles online and juggling material orders, production batches, and sales across platforms, this spreadsheet gives you a central place to track everything. You'll know what you have in stock, what you need to reorder, and what each sale cost you in materials.

Small candle business owners

If you're running a candle business with a core product line (5-20 scents), this template gives you the inventory foundation you need without investing in software. It's perfect for tracking materials, calculating COGS, and keeping your numbers organized for tax season.

Candle makers testing new scents

Before you launch a new candle scent, use this template to calculate whether it's worth making. You'll see the material costs, fragrance load, and margins before you commit to production — helping you avoid scents that smell amazing but don't make financial sense. Learn about candle burn testing

Wholesale candle makers

If you're supplying candles to boutiques, gift shops, or other retailers, accurate costing is critical. Wholesale pricing is typically 50% of retail, which means tighter margins. This template helps you calculate costs precisely so you can quote wholesale prices that cover expenses and still leave room for profit.

Seasonal and market candle makers

If you're making candles for holiday markets, craft fairs, or seasonal events, this spreadsheet helps you plan production runs and track materials across batches. You'll know how much wax and fragrance you need to stock up for peak season and what your profit margins look like after market fees.

Candle makers preparing for growth

If you're considering scaling your candle business — adding wholesale accounts, expanding your product line, or opening a retail space — this spreadsheet gives you the cost visibility you need to make informed decisions. Once you outgrow it, you'll have clean data to migrate to candle inventory software like Craftybase.

Candle businesses with compliance requirements

If you're selling candles commercially, you need accurate records for insurance, product liability, and compliance with labeling laws (CLP in UK/EU, FTC in US). This template helps you document material sources, batch numbers, and costs — making it easier to maintain compliance records and respond to customer inquiries about ingredients.

Ready to outgrow the spreadsheet?

Streamline your end-to-end candle making process and gain real-time visibility into your inventory with Craftybase. Candle makers like Tiana from Winding Wick Candles have made the transition from spreadsheets to solve problems like double-ordering and team collaboration.

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