How to Make Large Batches of Candles

It’s helpful to learn how to mass produce candles if your business is going from strength to strength and order numbers are increasing.

Meeting a higher demand is all about efficiency, not only in terms of the time it takes, but the money you spend on equipment and materials.

In this article, we delve into the art of large batch candle making, so you can put together a fool-proof plan that will help your business to flourish.

Why is large batch candle making important?

The importance of large batch candle making depends on whether you are receiving more customer orders or simply want to save time in the future by making a greater number of candles for personal use.

If you are attending an event or show where you will be selling your products, you may want to learn how to mass produce candles.

Or, if retailers are interested in stocking your candle products, you may want to increase production to ensure you can sustain demand.

How to mass produce candles at home

There are a few different elements you will need to look at to mass produce larger batches of candles, and we'll go through each one to ensure you have everything covered.

1. Organise your candle making workspace

• Your current workspace may be ideal for smaller batches of candles, but if you scale things up, will you have enough room to work with? If not, make an overhead plan of the space with separate zones so you can map out where everything could go to make the space more user friendly.
• If the current space won’t work for you, perhaps there is somewhere else you could use, or perhaps you could set up temporary or permanent tables to create extra space.
• Using vertical racks can be a game changer when it comes to storing equipment, materials and finished candles. To keep costs down, you could buy them second hand from the likes of eBay, Etsy or in charity stores.

2. Scale up your candle making equipment

• Making more candles means you will also need more equipment to ensure making a large batch doesn’t become overwhelming.
• For example, you may want to switch to large pouring pitchers, or melting pots to save some time.
• The goal here is to scale up your production capacity, so buying more of everything will give you more control and efficiency as you go.

3. Melt more wax for your candles

• You’ll be needing a lot more wax for a large batch of candles, so think about the most efficient way you can melt a larger amount.
• It’s all about finding the right way that works for you, that doesn’t cost too much money to drive up production costs whilst – just as crucially – saving you time.
• The traditional method of melting wax is with a double boiler, but you may want to look at using a microwave or a wax melter, if you think it will help.

4. Managing large quantities of supplies

• Another part of how to mass produce candles involves ordering more supplies, which can give you more opportunity to increase profits.
• This is because the more supplies you buy in a single purchase, the greater the discount you will likely be offered by the supplier. As a result, the cost of making each candle will be reduced, so you earn more through your sales.
• Depending on how much you are able – or need – to buy, the supplier may even offer discounts on shipping, which can bring costs down even further.

5. Make changes to your candle formula

• To ensure you maintain quality across a large batch of candles, you’ll need to adjust your formula to ensure you have the right amount of wax, fragrances and dyes.
• This should be fairly easy to do. For example, if you know the formula for a single candle, simply multiply the weight of each ingredient by however many candles you are making in the larger batch.
• Repetitive strain injuries can happen if you are making a particularly large batch, so rest your hands and wrists where needed to avoid working through the pain barrier and risking greater injury.

6. Find ways to work more efficiently

• Whilst there’s no avoiding the fact that learning how to mass produce candles is a more complex and time-consuming process, there will be some ways you can make it as efficient as possible.
• You may want to consider grouping tasks, which gives you more control over your candle making whilst also helping you to be more productive.
• For example, if you are using a wax melter, you can focus on other tasks such as wicking the containers, instead of waiting for all the wax to melt. This allows you to move on to the next step whilst saving valuable time.

Final thoughts

Taking the next step for your business always requires a few changes to your usual routine, but if you can secure more orders and continue to grow, then the extra investment is more than worth it.

Once you know how to mass produce candles, you’ll have even more control over your workspace, equipment, formula and supplies, helping you to streamline your production and become super-efficient from start to finish.