Supplier a Has Cheaper Soy Wax but Higher Shipping Charges While Supplier B Has Higher Wax Price and Cheaper Delivery — How Do I Compare Landed Cost per Kilogram?
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Which example supplier is cheaper? B below 46.7 kg per order, A above. At 25 kg: A ₹512.00, B ₹486.00 a kilo.
What about damaged wax? Divide by usable kilos, not ordered kilos. Weigh every delivery and record what you cannot pour.
Where does CSI fit? Soy Pearl can carry up to ₹1,530.00 shipping on 25 kg and still match the example suppliers. See the CSI table.
Divide everything you pay by the kilos you can actually use
Landed cost per kilogram is everything you pay to get the wax to your workbench, divided by the kilos you can actually pour. For most small makers that is the wax price plus shipping, and — if some of the wax arrives unusable — divided by a little less than the kilos you ordered. The formula is short: landed ₹/kg = (wax price × kg + shipping + any other charges) ÷ usable kg. Compare suppliers on that number, at the order size you really place, and the confusion between a cheaper wax and cheaper delivery disappears.
Your title gives no figures, so here are labelled examples you replace: Supplier A sells wax at ₹440.00 a kilo and charges ₹1,800.00 shipping per order; Supplier B charges ₹470.00 a kilo and ₹400.00 shipping. On a 10 kg order, A lands at ₹620.00 a kilo and B at ₹510.00: B wins by a wide margin. On a 100 kg order, A lands at ₹458.00 and B at ₹474.00: A wins. The two are equal at 46.7 kg per order — that single number is the answer to your question for these two suppliers.
The reason is that shipping charged per order is a fixed cost, spread over however many kilos you buy. A low wax price is worth more the more you buy at once; low shipping is worth more the less you buy. So the right supplier depends on your normal order size, not on either headline figure. If shipping is charged per kilo instead, there is no crossover at all — whichever has the lower price-plus-freight per kilo wins at every size — and the comparison is even simpler.
The landed-cost table at four order sizes
| Order | A: total paid | A: landed ₹/kg | B: total paid | B: landed ₹/kg | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kg | ₹6,200.00 | ₹620.00 | ₹5,100.00 | ₹510.00 | B by ₹110.00 |
| 25 kg | ₹12,800.00 | ₹512.00 | ₹12,150.00 | ₹486.00 | B by ₹26.00 |
| 50 kg | ₹23,800.00 | ₹476.00 | ₹23,900.00 | ₹478.00 | A by ₹2.00 |
| 100 kg | ₹45,800.00 | ₹458.00 | ₹47,400.00 | ₹474.00 | A by ₹16.00 |
The crossover is worked out by setting the two landed costs equal: ₹440.00 + ₹1,800.00 ÷ Q = ₹470.00 + ₹400.00 ÷ Q, which gives Q = (₹1,800.00 − ₹400.00) ÷ (₹470.00 − ₹440.00) = 46.7 kg. If you normally buy 25 kg a month, B is the cheaper supplier by ₹26.00 a kilo; at 200 g and 8% that is ₹4.78 of wax per candle (₹94.21 vs ₹89.42). If you are moving to quarterly 100 kg orders, A wins — but then read the cost of tying up cash in 100 kg before you do.
When shipping is per kilo, not per order
Some suppliers and courier partners charge freight by weight. Then landed cost per kilo is simply price + freight per kilo, and order size stops mattering. With example freight of ₹60.00 a kilo for A and ₹14.00 for B, A lands at ₹500.00 and B at ₹484.00 at every order size — B is cheaper by ₹16.00 a kilo whether you buy 10 kg or 100 kg. Ask each supplier which model they use; it changes the shape of the decision.
The other lines in landed cost: damage, GST and time
Shipping is the big line, but three smaller ones belong in the same calculation. The first is unusable wax: bags split in transit, wax that softened and fused in a hot courier vehicle, or contamination. If a longer route means an example 1% of A's wax arrives unusable, A's landed cost rises because you divide by fewer usable kilos. In this example that is enough to push the crossover past 50 kg, so a 50 kg order flips from A to B; and in May–June a long route through north-west India's heat can make it matter more. Log your own deliveries — weigh what arrives, note its condition — and use your real figure.
| Order | A: landed per usable kg | B: landed per usable kg | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kg | ₹626.26 | ₹510.00 | B |
| 25 kg | ₹517.17 | ₹486.00 | B |
| 50 kg | ₹480.81 | ₹478.00 | B |
| 100 kg | ₹462.63 | ₹474.00 | A |
The second is GST. Compare both suppliers on the same basis — both including GST or both excluding it — and if you are GST-registered, ask your accountant whether the GST on the wax and on the shipping can be claimed as input credit, because that changes which figure is your real cost. CSI provides GST invoices; this page states no GST rates. The third is time: a slower supplier means more safety stock, and safety stock is cash. Safety stock with a one-week lead time prices that properly.
Putting CSI into the comparison
CSI's wax prices are listed; shipping depends on your pincode and order and is shown at checkout. So the honest way to compare is to ask: how much shipping could a CSI order carry and still match the better of your two suppliers? That break-even is the better supplier's total landed bill minus CSI's listed pack price for the same kilos. If your CSI checkout shipping is below it, CSI is cheaper landed; above it, it is not. The table uses the example A and B figures; production packs only (5 kg and up), at the cheapest listed combination.
| CSI wax | 10 kg: packs | 10 kg: price | 10 kg: max shipping to match | 25 kg: packs | 25 kg: price | 25 kg: max shipping to match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Soy Pearl Wax | 1 × 10 kg | ₹4,248.00 | ₹852.00 | 2 × 10 kg + 1 × 5 kg | ₹10,620.00 | ₹1,530.00 |
| Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 | 1 × 10 kg | ₹5,074.00 | ₹26.00 | 2 × 10 kg + 1 × 5 kg | ₹12,685.00 | cannot match (−₹535.00) |
| Premium Coconut Soy Wax CSI 468 | 1 × 10 kg | ₹6,370.00 | cannot match (−₹1,270.00) | 2 × 10 kg + 1 × 5 kg | ₹15,925.00 | cannot match (−₹3,775.00) |
| Luxury Soy Wax Chunks | 2 × 5 kg | ₹5,990.00 | cannot match (−₹890.00) | 5 × 5 kg | ₹14,975.00 | cannot match (−₹2,825.00) |
Read the table honestly. Natural Soy Pearl at ₹424.80 a kilo is below both example suppliers' wax prices, so a CSI Soy Pearl order can carry ₹1,530.00 of shipping on 25 kg and still match. CSI 464 at ₹507.40 a kilo is dearer than both example wax prices, so it can only match if its shipping is small — ₹26.00 on 10 kg. CSI 468 and Chunks are priced above both example suppliers and cannot match on landed price alone. If the example suppliers' waxes are what you would actually use, Chunks and CSI 468 have to earn their place on performance in your own tests, not on landed cost.
Landed cost only counts if the wax performs the same
A cheaper landed kilo of a wax that throws less, frosts more or needs a different wick is not cheaper. Before you move your regular orders to whichever supplier wins the landed table, pour your current wax (the control, from stock) beside the candidate waxes. The example runs two CSI candidates against your current supplier's wax, 4 candles each, 12 in all, with Bergamot Amber Fragrance Oil at 8% (16 g oil + 184 g wax), Eco Thin C1 wicks and White Matte jars.
| Line | Control (current supplier) | CSI 464 | Chunks | Pass rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrival: weight vs invoice / condition | ___ | ___ | ___ | Record — feeds usable kg |
| Time to full melt pool | ___ | ___ | ___ | Record; flag big differences |
| Flame height / soot / mushrooming | ___ | ___ | ___ | Safety: no worse than control |
| Jar-side reading, same point and minute | ___ | ___ | ___ | Safety: no hotter than control |
| Hot throw, blind (0–5) | ___ | ___ | ___ | Within your tolerance |
| Top and glass after cooling | ___ | ___ | ___ | Within your cosmetic standard |
| Landed ₹/kg at your order size | ___ | ___ | ___ | Lowest among those that pass |
The priced test kit
| Item | Need | Buy | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 | 772.8 g | 1 × 1 kg | ₹507.40 |
| Luxury Soy Wax Chunks | 772.8 g | 2 × 500 g | ₹598.00 |
| Bergamot Amber Fragrance Oil | 201.6 g | 2 × 100 g + 1 × 15 g | ₹1,225.02 |
| Eco Candle Wicks Thin C1 | 12 + 2 spare | 1 × 20 | ₹118.00 |
| White Matte Glass Jar | 12 jars | 3 packs of 5 | ₹1,062.00 |
| Your current supplier's wax (control) | 772.8 g | From stock | — |
| Kit total | ₹3,510.42 |
| Pack | Price | Per kg | Candles at 184.0 g wax |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 g | ₹260.00 | ₹520.00 | 2.72 |
| 1 kg | ₹507.40 | ₹507.40 | 5.43 |
| 5 kg | ₹2,537.00 | ₹507.40 | 27.17 |
| 10 kg | ₹5,074.00 | ₹507.40 | 54.35 |
| Pack | Price | Per kg | Candles at 184.0 g wax |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 kg | ₹450.00 | ₹450.00 | 5.43 |
| 5 kg | ₹2,124.00 | ₹424.80 | 27.17 |
| 10 kg | ₹4,248.00 | ₹424.80 | 54.35 |
| Pack | Price | Per gram | Candles at 16.0 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 g | ₹105.02 | ₹7.00 | 0.94 |
| 50 g | ₹280.00 | ₹5.60 | 3.12 |
| 100 g | ₹560.00 | ₹5.60 | 6.25 |
| 500 g | ₹2,718.00 | ₹5.44 | 31.25 |
| 1 kg | ₹5,437.00 | ₹5.44 | 62.50 |
The decision rule
| Step | What you do | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get each supplier's total for your normal order size, including shipping | Total paid |
| 2 | Weigh deliveries; record unusable kilos | Usable kg |
| 3 | Landed ₹/kg = total ÷ usable kg | Rank the suppliers |
| 4 | Find the crossover order size if shipping is per order | Example: 46.7 kg |
| 5 | Qualify the cheapest landed wax against your control | Pass / fail |
| 6 | Buy from the cheapest landed supplier whose wax passes | Your regular order |
For a maker ordering 25 kg a month, with the example figures, the concrete CSI purchase is: if your checkout shipping on Natural Soy Pearl (2 × 10 kg + 1 × 5 kg, ₹10,620.00) is under ₹1,530.00 and Soy Pearl passes the side-by-side, buy it monthly in that combination. If you need CSI 464 for its stated 10% ceiling or your test results, buy 2 × 10 kg + 1 × 5 kg (₹12,685.00) and accept that it is not the cheapest landed option against these example suppliers. What ₹20, ₹50 or ₹100 a kilo does to COGS puts the landed gaps into per-candle terms.
Related purchase-side costs
Landed cost is the purchase price corrected for getting the wax to you. The siblings correct it for other things: cash tied up in a bulk buy, pack-size thresholds, cure time and pour consistency. The true commercial cost formula uses landed cost as its first line. Outside the cluster, comparing suppliers on consistency, availability, shipping and price widens the comparison beyond cost.
CANDLEMAKINGSUPPLIESINDIA supplies raw materials, not finished candles. On the example figures on this page, two of our soy waxes cannot beat the cheaper supplier on landed cost. We show that rather than hide it: put your real checkout shipping into the table, and buy ours only where it wins on landed cost or on your own test results.
Wax and oil prices are CSI live pricing pulled on 24 September 2026 and re-checked on 1 October 2026 (unchanged). Wick and jar prices are those verified for Blog 760 on 10 September 2026. CSI shipping depends on pincode and order and is shown at checkout; no shipping figure for CSI is stated here. Landed costs, crossovers and break-evens are plain arithmetic shown to two decimals.
Supplier A and B prices and shipping, the per-kilo freight alternative, the 1% damage allowance, the 25 kg order, the 200 g candle at 8% and the qualification design are labelled examples and working practices. No GST rate is stated. For a landed figure to your pincode, quotes above the listed packs, GST invoices or MSDS documents, message us on WhatsApp at +91 7397976926.
Frequently asked questions
- My Wax Supplier Offers a Lower Price at 100 Kg but I Only Consume 25 Kg per Month — How Do I Calculate Whether the Discount Is Worth Tying Up Cash?
- My Supplier Charges More for 10 Kg Packs than 25 Kg Cartons — At What Monthly Production Volume Does the Larger Pack Become Worthwhile?
- I'm Buying 100 Kg of Wax — How Much Difference Does ₹20, ₹50 or ₹100 per Kilogram Make to My Total Candle COGS?
- My Candle Sells for ₹799 — How Much of the Selling Price Should Realistically Be Consumed by Wax Before Fragrance, Jar and Packaging Are Added?
- Should I Choose Soy Wax Based on Lowest Cost per Kg or Lowest Total Cost per Saleable Candle After Fragrance, Wick, Labour and Rejects?
- How Do I Calculate the True Commercial Cost of a Soy Wax Including Purchase Price, Shipping, Fragrance Requirement, Wick Requirement, Production Loss, Rework and Rejects?
- How Do I Compare Soy Wax Suppliers on Batch Consistency, Stock Availability, Pack Sizes, Shipping, Technical Information and Commercial Pricing?
- I Use 50 Kg of Soy Wax per Month — How Much Safety Stock Should I Keep If My Supplier Normally Takes One Week to Deliver?
Customer reviews: The six reviews at the top of this page are genuine, published Judge.me reviews left by CSI customers on the product pages named on each card — Eco Candle Wicks, Premium Candle Wicking Needle and Bamboo Wick Holder. They are general product reviews, not assessments of the guidance set out here. Names, star ratings, dates and products are as recorded by Judge.me and wording is unedited. "Verified buyer" appears only on the three reviews Judge.me recorded as verified — Monika Deep, Subhankar Roy and Sneha Tamang; the reviews from Ashwini, LJ and Lalitha Jagan are published but not recorded as verified, and carry no badge.
Figures pulled 24 September 2026, CSI live pricing (wax re-checked 1 October 2026): Luxury Soy Wax Chunks ₹299.00 / 500 g, ₹599.00 / 1 kg, ₹2,995.00 / 5 kg, ₹5,999.00 / 10 kg. Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 ₹260.00 / 500 g, ₹507.40 / 1 kg, ₹2,537.00 / 5 kg, ₹5,074.00 / 10 kg. Premium Coconut Soy Wax CSI 468 ₹325.00 / 500 g, ₹650.00 / 1 kg, ₹3,185.00 / 5 kg, ₹6,370.00 / 10 kg. Natural Soy Pearl Wax ₹450.00 / 1 kg, ₹2,124.00 / 5 kg, ₹4,248.00 / 10 kg, ₹21,240.00 / 50 kg. Bergamot Amber Fragrance Oil ₹105.02 / 15 g, ₹280.00 / 50 g, ₹560.00 / 100 g, ₹2,718.00 / 500 g, ₹5,437.00 / 1 kg. Figures verified 10 September 2026 (Blog 760), wick packs rechecked 25 September 2026: Eco Candle Wicks Thin C1 ₹59.00 / 10, ₹118.00 / 20 (₹5.90 each); Thick C2 ₹94.40 / 10, ₹188.80 / 20 (₹9.44 each); Cotton Braided Wicks Ready Made ₹120.00 / 10 (₹12.00 each); White Matte Glass Jar ₹354.00 / 5 (₹70.80 each).
Non-price figures and assumptions: Supplier A (₹440.00 a kilo, ₹1,800.00 shipping per order) and Supplier B (₹470.00 a kilo, ₹400.00 per order), the per-kilo freight alternative (₹60.00 and ₹14.00 a kilo), the 1% damage allowance, the 25 kg order and the 200 g candle at 8% (16 g oil + 184 g wax) are labelled examples. CSI shipping is not stated (shown at checkout for your pincode); no GST rate is stated. Product-page statements quoted: CSI 464 — up to 10%, melt/pour working range 80–90°C, shelf life 60 months; Chunks — fragrance addition 80–90°C, pour 75–80°C (spec table), up to 13%. Natural Soy Pearl has no ceiling, temperatures or shelf life published. Material costs exclude labour, packaging and GST.