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 to 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 dye to color your 10 pound batch, you should us 1/2 teaspoon plus about 9 drops. If your batch is small, or if the dye amount is small, it is often easier to convert to grams so that you may use measuring spoons or drops.

For darker shades like burgundy or navy, try using 0.1% dye. This means that you should 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.

Liquid Candle dye can be used in any candle wax. It can also be used very effectively to color liquid paraffin. Liquid Paraffin is the liquid used in candle lamps like those from Firelight Candles. To dye liquid paraffin, or lamp oil, just add a few drops of dye to the liquid. Shake well. The dye is highly concentrated, so you only need a few drops. You can mix dye colors to make the color you would like. You can control shade with the amount of dye you add, a single drop will be much lighter than several drops, but a little will go a very long way, so be careful!

2 Comments

zelda gates

Date 1/8/2014

Billy Francis

Date 4/9/2015

Darla Petty

Date 6/25/2016

Add Comment