Recommended Usage for Liquid Candle Dyes

For a medium shade of a color (like red, blue, yellow, etc.), you will need to use about 0.05% dye. This means using 1 pound of liquid dye for 2000 pounds of wax. Now since most of you make candles on a much smaller scale, this is equivalent to using about 7 or 8 drops of color per pound of wax.

1 ounce = 28 grams
1 pound = 454 grams = 16 oz
1 tablespoon = 15 grams = about one half ounce
1 teaspoon = 5 grams = about one fifth of an ounce
1/2 teaspoon = about 2 grams
1/4 teaspoon = about 1 gram
ONE DROP = about 0.03 grams
1 gram is about 33 drops

You may measure by weight, using a scale, or by volume, using measuring cups or spoons. It is important to choose a method and consistently use that method since you may get slightly different results if you alternate between the two.

Be aware that whatever instrument you use - measuring cup, spoon, eyedropper, will not be reusable except in that dye color. These dyes are very difficult to remove or clean up. So, be very careful when using them!

Here is how you do your percentage calculations:

For a medium shade:
Total batch size x 0.05% = amount of liquid dye to use

For example if you want to color 10 pounds of wax red, here is what you would do. 10 lbs x 0.05% = 0.005 lb (when multiplying by a percentage, be sure to either use the percent key after the 0.05 or add two decimal places in front of the 0.05 so that you multiply by 0.0005). To convert ot ounces, multiply 0.005 lb by 16 since there are 16 in 1 pound. 0.005 lb x 16 = 0.08 ounce. To convert to grams, multiply by 454, which is the approximate number of grams in a pound. 0.005 lb x 454 = 2.27 grams. Since you need to use 2.27 grams of dy to color your 10 pound batch, you should us 1/2 teaspoon plus about 9 drops. If your tach is small, or if the dye amount is small, it is often easier to convert to grams so that you may use meaureing spoons or drops.

For darker shades like burgundy or navy, try using 0.1% dye. This means that you shoudl multiply your batch size by 0.1% (being sure to use the percent key) or jut multiply the batch size by 0.001.

For pale shades like peach or pink, you will want to use about 0.005%. For a vanilla or ivory shade, you may want to use 0.001%

Black may be achieved by using 0.15% dye in the wax. However, you may have to use a larger wick depending on your application.