Table of contents
Your first candle will probably sell to someone you know, and they will ask the price before they ask the scent. Most beginners answer by guessing.
A price you can defend comes from three things: what one candle really costs you, the GST on top, and where you sell first.
To price a candle in India, add up the full cost of making one, multiply it by roughly 1.8 to 2 to set the pre-GST price, then add 5% GST on top. Finished candles carry 5% GST from 22 September 2025, down from 12%.
Find what one candle really costs you
Our first exhibition ran on under 30 products, one 1 kg wax melter and jars bought at minimum order quantity. At that scale we learned that a supplier's quote is never the cost of a candle.
From our own buying, soy wax costs about ₹350 to ₹400 a kg at the very most, and that is for the highly priced brands. Beeswax and coconut wax cost more. Our guide to the real difference between candle waxes explains why.
Good quality fragrance oil starts around ₹900 a kg and goes up to ₹3,000 or ₹4,000 for the expensive ones. Wicks start at ₹1 or less and reach ₹3 to ₹4 for eco wicks.
You do not need wooden wicks at the start, so do not budget for them. Our note on why we chose fragrance oil over essential oil covers the oil side.
Your own bills matter more than any range. Write down each line below for one candle, using what you actually paid.
| Cost line | How to work it out |
|---|---|
| Wax | Wax per jar in grams, times your price per gram |
| Fragrance oil | Wax weight times your fragrance load, times oil price per gram |
| Jar and lid | Price paid, divided by jars bought |
| Wick and sticker | Price per piece |
| Label, box, packing | Print and packing cost per candle |
| Your time | Hours per batch, divided by candles poured |
Fragrance is the line people forget. Our fragrance load runs 7 to 10% depending on the scent and wax, and a heavier load costs real money in every jar.
Then count what never appears on a bill: failed pours, test candles and burn tests. We spent roughly six months and ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 testing wax, oil and diffuser suppliers before our recipes held.
Keep that testing spend separate and recover it over your first batches. For a full startup budget, see how much it really costs to start a candle making business, or our sand wax setup and real costs.
Turn that cost into a price
Our rule of thumb is total cost including GST paid, multiplied by 1.8 to 2. A candle that costs ₹100 would be priced at ₹180 to ₹200 before GST. The ₹100 is a round number, only to show the maths.
Markup is not margin. A 2x markup leaves a 50% margin and a 2.5x markup leaves 60%. Craftybase suggests 2.5x as a starting point for handmade retail candles.
Anything you pay to get paid, such as a payment fee, comes out of the same price. The calculator below lets you add it. If you are still planning the business itself, start with our step-by-step guide to starting a candle making business.
How much GST do candles carry in India?
Finished candles attract 5% GST in India from 22 September 2025, down from 12%. Fragrance oil and prepared waxes carry 18%, and cotton wicks carry 5%. Selling to another state or on a marketplace needs GST registration from the first sale.
Candles sit in Schedule I at 5% in the CBIC's Notification 9/2025 (Integrated Tax, Rate). The same schedule lists textile wicks at 5%, and fragrance mixtures, prepared waxes and dyes at 18%.
EY's summary of the GST Council decision describes the same change, with candles moving from 12% to 5%.
Check the HSN code on your supplier's invoice. Taxadda lists soy wax under 3404 at 18%, but beeswax and other waxes can differ.
Registration is where beginners slip. The ₹40 lakh limit for goods applies only if you supply goods alone, and it is ₹20 lakh in some states, as CalcGuru explains.
A sale to a customer in another state is an inter-state supply. TaxGuru notes that Section 24 requires registration for it, and for marketplace sellers too. Ask your CA about exceptions.
If you are registered, the tag is GST inclusive and the 5% sits on top of your pre-GST price. If you are not, ask your CA what you can charge, and treat the GST you paid on supplies as a cost.
Where beginners actually sell first
Nobody starts on Amazon. The first sales come from people who can smell the candle, and each stage teaches you something before the next one costs more.
| Stage | Where | What it teaches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friends, family, WhatsApp | Which scent people pick first |
| 2 | Exhibitions and pop-ups | Real price reactions, face to face |
| 3 | Instagram orders | Who finds you without being told |
| 4 | Local shops, wholesale | Whether a retailer's cut still leaves you a margin |
Exhibitions are the best first test. That is how we started: a small range, jars bought at minimum order quantity, and customers telling us in person whether the price was fine.
On Instagram, we run no paid ads. People find a candle there, and the order follows through a payment link or a message. Organic reach costs your time, so price that time into the candle.
Watch where the parcel goes, because an order shipped to another state brings in the registration rule above.
If a shop wants to stock you, Craftybase says retailers expect a 40 to 50% margin, so your wholesale price needs to sit near half the shelf price. Check your price can survive that cut.
Work out the tag price for your candle
What should your tag say, and when do you get your setup money back?
Use your own numbers. Nothing here is pre-filled, so the answer is yours alone.
Website and Amazon: start early or later
When to build a website is a personal call. Starting early gives you time to develop it properly while you are still making your first batches.
Starting later lowers the risk. If exhibitions, WhatsApp and Instagram prove your scents and prices first, you spend website time and money only after the market has spoken.
Either way, a website adds a payment gateway fee and Amazon adds a referral fee. WareIQ's December 2025 fee guide puts it at 7.5% up to ₹500 and 12.5% above, for fragrances and candles.
Check Seller Central, because fees change. Our own store runs on Shopify Basic with a free theme and free apps, and we are still setting up Amazon.in. Whichever you add, keep one customer-facing price everywhere.
Learn the costing hands-on before you spend
If you would rather learn by doing, our home fragrance course and candle making course cover the making and the costing. Our course fees guide shows what to expect to pay.
Based in Delhi? Read what a candle-only class leaves out, or see our candle making course in Delhi. The learn page has the rest.
Five beginner mistakes
- Costing materials only. Testing, wastage, tape, stickers and packing are cost too.
- Ignoring where the parcel goes. Shipping to another state can change your GST registration needs.
- Discounting without a floor. At a 40% margin, a 20% discount cuts profit per candle in half.
- Giving away too many samples. Each one is a candle you paid for.
- Selling a candle with a weak throw. Fix it first with our guide to candle problems, or why a candle stops smelling.
What profit margin should a candle business aim for?
Sources differ: Razorpay's India guide suggests margins of roughly 30 to 45%, while Craftybase calls 50 to 67% gross margin reasonable for handmade retail candles. Aim for a margin you still like after payment fees and discounts, not before them.
The bottom line
Cost the whole candle, price it from your own numbers, add GST on top and sell face to face first. Websites and marketplaces can start early or later, as suits you.
To see whether the numbers add up, read is candle making profitable. To make your first batch, start with candle making for beginners.
Frequently asked questions
Candles fall under HSN 3406 in Chapter 34. Finished candles carry 5% GST from 22 September 2025, down from 12%. Confirm the exact eight digit code for your product with your CA, because scented and handmade candles are sometimes listed under different sub codes.
The ₹40 lakh limit for goods applies only if you supply goods alone, and it is ₹20 lakh in some states. Selling to another state, or on a marketplace, requires registration from the first sale. Ask a CA about your first sales.
It is a personal choice. Starting a website early gives you time to build it properly. Starting later lowers the risk, because exhibitions, WhatsApp and Instagram test the market before you invest website time and money. Amazon adds fees and mandatory GST registration.
Trade directories put premium candles at ₹300 to ₹800 and above, and some design brands list ₹800 to ₹4,500. Treat those as context only. Price from your own cost per candle, your margin target and what people at your first exhibition say.
No. Markup is the amount added to cost, margin is the share of the price you keep. A 2x markup leaves a 50% margin and a 2.5x markup leaves 60%. Payment fees and discounts then reduce the margin you actually take home.
There is no fixed figure. We spent roughly six months and ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 testing wax, fragrance oil and diffuser suppliers before our recipes held. Start smaller with one wax and two scents, and record every test candle as cost.
If you would rather see how a finished range is priced, browse our scented candles, beeswax candles or gift sets. To make your first one, try sand wax or our candle making supplies.
No questions yet. Be the first to ask.