What Questions Should I Ask a Corporate or Wedding Client Before Calculating Raw Materials for a Large Candle Order?
Aktie
Why before? Because the same enquiry gives different orders. In the worked example, "about 500 for a wedding" is 535 pours, one oil, ₹1,21,378.00 in CSI materials with one set of answers, and 666 pours, three oils, a dye and the client's own jars with another (₹1,26,453.80 of CSI lines before their jars).
Which answers move the money most? Quantity (100 more candles ≈ ₹23,339.53), fill weight (150 g → 200 g ≈ ₹21,753.31), budget (it can swap a ₹94.40 jar for a ₹29.50 one) and the number of scents.
When can I calculate the final BOM? When quantity, fill and jar, scents and split, colour, date and advance are answered in writing. Until then, quote a range.
- Straight answer: the questions, in order
- One enquiry, two orders
- The twelve questions and what each answer changes
- The four answers that move the money
- Questions about time, samples and approval
- Questions about money and changes
- Running the intake call
- What to buy while the answers come in
- Frequently asked questions
One enquiry, two orders
The title gives no figures, so here is a worked-example enquiry and two plausible sets of answers to it. Set A is a tight brief; set B is what the same couple might say after a longer call. Both are calculated the same way: pours = saleable + extras + a 5% loss buffer; mix = pours × fill + 1% heel; oil 8% of the mix; jars and wicks +2% breakage; rounded to in-stock CSI packs.
| Line | Set A | Set B | What changed it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saleable candles | 500 | 600 + 30 samples | Q1 quantity, Q6 samples |
| Pours (with extras and 5% loss) | 535 | 666 | 131 more pours |
| Fill | 150 g | 200 g | Q2 fill and jar |
| Finished mix | 81.0525 kg | 134.532 kg | 53.4795 kg more |
| Wax (Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464) | 74.5683 kg → 75 kg, ₹38,055.00 | 123.7694 kg → 124 kg, ₹62,917.60 | Flat per kilo: buy to the kilo |
| Fragrance oil | 6.4842 kg Gardenia → 6.5 kg, ₹28,158.00 | 10.7626 kg across three → 11.5 kg, ₹56,881.00 | Q3 scents and split |
| Jars | 546 → 550 clear 150 g, ₹51,920.00 | client supplies | Q2 jar |
| Wicks | 546 → 550 Eco C1, ₹3,245.00 | 680 → 680 Eco C2, ₹6,419.20 | New jar = wick test first |
| Dye | none | Purple 15 ml trial, ₹236.00; production dose from the trial | Q4 colour |
| CSI materials | ₹1,21,378.00 (₹242.76 a candle) | ₹1,26,453.80 + client's jars | Excludes labour, labels, freight, GST |
Notice what does not happen: the CSI total barely moves, from ₹1,21,378.00 to ₹1,26,453.80. The order still changes completely. Set B needs 131 more pours, a wick test in a jar you have never used, three oils (two of them new to you, each needing a load test), a dye trial with a poured approval sample, and jars from another supplier on another delivery date. A maker who calculated set A after the first message would have bought 6.5 kg of the wrong oil mix and 550 jars the client did not want.
The twelve questions and what each answer changes
| # | Ask | Why it matters | Effect on the BOM (worked example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is the quantity firm, or a range? What happens to unused candles if guests drop? | Plan to the top of a range only with a written minimum and a cancellation term | +100 saleable = +105 pours, about ₹23,339.53 of CSI materials |
| 2 | What fill weight and which jar? Yours or ours? | Sets wax and oil per candle, the jar line, and whether a wick test is needed | 150 g → 200 g adds ₹40.66 a candle in wax and oil (₹21,753.31 on 535 pours); a client jar moves the jar line off the sheet |
| 3 | Which scents, and in what split? | Each scent is rounded to packs separately; any new scent needs a load test | One scent vs three (50/30/20): ₹6,160.00 more and 515.8 g spare instead of 15.8 g |
| 4 | Any colour? Matched to what? | Adds dye, a trial in wax and a poured approval sample | A dye line, about 4 calendar days for trial and approval (worked example) |
| 5 | Labels, tags, boxes: who supplies, who designs, what text? | Your printer's lead time; safety text on every candle | A labels line, a proof date, and possibly a box size that limits the jar |
| 6 | Samples: approval samples, guest samples, retains? | Counted as their own lines, not hidden in the buffer | 30 guest samples ≈ ₹6,668.44 of CSI materials |
| 7 | Delivery date, place, and is a split delivery possible? | Sets capacity, packing and the buffer | Two drops add a packing day; a split can rescue a tight date |
| 8 | Who approves the sample, and by when? | Nothing is bought before this date | Every day the approval slips comes off production |
| 9 | What is the budget per candle? | Sets oil and jar choice before anything else | At ₹350.00, set A's ₹242.76 of CSI materials leaves ₹107.24 |
| 10 | What advance, and when is the balance due? | When you can buy, and how much cash you carry | Decides tranche sizes and whether you can buy at all |
| 11 | What is the cut-off for changes, and what does a change cost? | Protects the date and the materials already bought | Turns "small changes" into a date or fee decision |
| 12 | Will the candles be lit at the venue, or given as favours? | Burn conditions, safety labels and jar heat at the end of the burn | May change the jar or wick choice and the label text |
Ask them in this order on a call, and send the same list in writing afterwards for the client to answer. The order matters: quantity, fill and scents set the size of everything else; there is no point discussing labels for a jar that has not been chosen.
The four answers that move the money
Quantity: firm or a range
A range is normal for weddings. What matters is which end you buy for, and who pays for the difference. At set A's ₹222.28 of CSI materials per poured candle, 100 more saleable candles (105 pours) are about ₹23,339.53 before pack rounding. Buy for the firm minimum and agree in writing when the top of the range is confirmed; if the client wants you to hold materials for the top, that is what the advance is for. The question of reserving stock before a firm order is the verbal-confirmation post.
Fill weight and jar
Going from 150 g to 200 g adds 46 g of wax and 4 g of oil a candle at 8%: ₹40.66, or ₹21,753.31 over 535 pours. The jar answer matters more than the money: a jar you have not burned to the end with this wax and oil is a new candle, which means a wick test (and a date that allows for it). If the client supplies jars, ask for 10 samples first and measure them; a 200 ml jar does not hold 200 g of wax, so confirm the fill by a weighed test pour (the 200 ml versus 200 g post).
Scents and split
Each scent is bought and rounded on its own, so more scents means more leftover and more tests. The same 6.4842 kg of oil as one scent is 6.5 kg of Gardenia (₹28,158.00, 15.8 g spare); as three scents split 50/30/20 it becomes 3.5 kg Gardenia, 2 kg Raat Ki Rani and 1.5 kg Orchard Pear (₹34,318.00, 515.8 g spare), ₹6,160.00 more, mostly because Raat Ki Rani costs ₹6.77 a gram against Gardenia's ₹4.33. Ask the split as numbers ("how many of each?"), not as "a mix". Dividing an order across scents is the four-scent split post.
Budget per candle
Ask it early, because it decides the jar and the oil before anything else. Suppose the client says ₹350.00 a candle all-in (worked example). Set A's CSI materials are ₹242.76 a candle, which leaves ₹107.24 for labour, labels, packing, freight, GST and margin: almost certainly too little. The biggest single lever is the jar: a 150 g fill in the clear 200ml Salsa jar at ₹29.50 in 100s instead of the ₹94.40 apothecary jar saves ₹64.90 a candle and takes set A to ₹85,683.00 (₹171.37 a candle). That is a different-looking candle, and the client should see it before agreeing. Whether a price covers your true cost is the true manufacturing cost post.
Questions about time, samples and approval
Date, place and drops. Ask for the date the candles must be at the venue, not the wedding date; who receives them; and whether some can arrive earlier (favours for the mehendi, the rest for the reception). A split delivery is often what makes a tight date possible. How much capacity you really have for that date is the true-available-capacity post; how much spare to keep is the spare-capacity post.
Samples. Three kinds, each its own line: approval samples (the poured candle the client signs off), guest samples or extras the client wants to keep, and your own retains. Thirty guest samples as full candles are about ₹6,668.44 of CSI materials in set A. Never hide them inside the loss buffer: a buffer that has been given away as samples is not there for rejects. Adding samples and retains to the BOM is the samples-and-retains post.
Who approves, and by when. Name the person. In weddings it may be the couple, a parent or a planner; in corporate orders, procurement and marketing may both need to sign. The approval date is your purchase date, and every day it slips comes off production.
Lit at the venue, or given as favours? Candles burned at a reception, often in groups, near décor and fabric, raise different questions from favours that go home. Ask. If they will be lit, the jar's heat at the end of the burn, the flame size and the safety label matter more, and venue rules may apply. Keep the advice generic: burn within sight, away from anything flammable, on a heat-safe surface.
Questions about money and changes
Advance and balance. Ask what advance the client will pay and when the balance is due. The answer decides whether you can buy materials at all, and in how many tranches; set A's ₹1,21,378.00 of CSI materials is cash out before the first candle is poured. Sizing the advance is the advance post; whether it should at least cover client-specific materials (a custom colour, an unusual oil, printed labels) is the custom-materials post.
Change cut-off and change cost. Agree the date after which scent, colour, fill, label or quantity cannot change without a new date or a fee. Put it in the written order with the quantities and approvals. This is practical business judgement, not legal advice; the point is that both sides know the rule before the first change request arrives.
Running the intake call
The decision rule. Calculate a final BOM only when the six gating answers are firm in writing; buy only after the sample is approved and the advance is in. The settling number in the worked example is how far one enquiry can move: 535 pours to 666, 81.0525 kg to 134.532 kg of mix, one oil to three. Whether to accept the order at all, once you have the answers, is the go / no-go decision post.
What to buy while the answers come in
Five items that help the client answer the scent, colour and jar questions, chosen on page statements, price and stock on 7 October 2026. CSI publishes no burn or throw data, so nothing here is ranked on performance. The common thread: buy the smallest size that lets the client decide.
| Size | Price | Per gram | 150 g candles at 8% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 g | ₹105.02 | ₹7.00 | 1 |
| 50 g | ₹223.02 | ₹4.46 | 4 |
| 100 g | ₹433.00 | ₹4.33 | 8 |
| 500 g | ₹2,166.00 | ₹4.33 | 41 |
| 1000 g | ₹4,332.00 | ₹4.33 | 83 |
| Size | Price | Per gram | 150 g candles at 8% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 g | ₹130.00 | ₹8.67 | 1 |
| 50 g | ₹370.00 | ₹7.40 | 4 |
| 100 g | ₹700.00 | ₹7.00 | 8 |
| 500 g | ₹3,387.00 | ₹6.77 | 41 |
| 1 kg | ₹6,774.00 | ₹6.77 | 83 |
| Size | Price | Per gram | 150 g candles at 8% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 g | ₹105.02 | ₹7.00 | 1 |
| 50 g | ₹240.00 | ₹4.80 | 4 |
| 100 g | ₹380.00 | ₹3.80 | 8 |
| 500 g | ₹1,870.00 | ₹3.74 | 41 |
| 1000 g | ₹3,738.00 | ₹3.74 | 83 |
| Size | Price | When |
|---|---|---|
| 15 ml | ₹236.00 | the colour trial and the approval sample |
| 50 gm | ₹472.00 | after the dose is set by test |
| 100 gm | ₹900.00 | 4.7% less than two 50 gm |
| Pack | Price | Per jar | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pack of 10 | ₹944.00 | ₹94.40 | approval samples |
| Pack of 20 | ₹1,888.00 | ₹94.40 | set A: 27 × 20 + 10 = ₹51,920.00 |
Skip until the answers are signed: kilos of any oil, the jar packs, and the wax. Argued against our own interest: the right first order from us for a wedding enquiry is often three 15 g bottles and a 15 ml dye, ₹576.04 in all. Larger orders follow when the client knows what they want. If two scents survive the sniff test, 50 g bottles (₹833.02 for all three) are enough for a 6%, 8% and 10% ladder in 150 g candles for one oil (36 g), with 14 g left.
CandleMakingSuppliesIndia sells the oils, dyes, jars, wax and wicks named here, and does not sell finished candles. This page still tells you to buy 15 g bottles instead of kilos until the client chooses, that our apothecary jar may be the wrong jar for a tight budget, and that the 100 gm dye saves little until the dose is set.
Every CSI price was checked on the live store on 7 October 2026, size by size. Every item priced here is in stock on that date; the Eco C1 10-pack is out of stock and is not used. Raat Ki Rani's web address still carries an old ship date, so confirm its dispatch on WhatsApp. Stock depth and dispatch dates for bulk quantities are not published on product pages.
The enquiry, both answer sets, the 5% loss buffer, 1% heel, 2% breakage, the scent split, the client budget and the dye-trial days are labelled worked examples; which line each question moves is a judgement. This is practical business judgement, not legal advice. For bulk pricing, stock confirmation, GST invoicing, and MSDS and IFRA documentation on request, message us on WhatsApp at +91 7397976926.
Frequently asked questions
- A Company Wants 1,000 × 200 g Candles Delivered in 21 Days but I Normally Make Only 100 a Week — How Do I Calculate Whether I Can Realistically Accept the Order?
- I Received My First 500-Candle Order — What Should I Calculate Before Saying Yes to the Customer?
- How Do I Decide Whether to Accept a Bulk Candle Order Using Quantity, Deadline, Formulation Readiness, Production Capacity, Raw-Material Availability and Testing Time?
- A Wedding Client Wants a Completely New Jar, Fragrance and Colour Combination — Should I Treat This as a New Product Requiring Full Testing Before Accepting the Deadline?
- A Client Wants 1,000 Candles but Also Wants a New Fragrance — How Much Development Time Should I Allow Before Production Begins?
- I Need to Produce 1,000 Corporate Candles While Continuing Normal Website Sales — How Do I Calculate My True Available Production Capacity?
- How Much Spare Production Capacity Should I Keep for Breakage, Rejected Candles and Remakes When Promising a Bulk-Order Deadline?
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 — Candle Dye Liquid, Ceramic Jar for Candle Making, Gardenia Fragrance Oil, Orchard Pear, White Matte Glass Jar. They are general product reviews, not assessments of the bulk-order advice on this page. Names, star ratings, dates and products are as recorded by Judge.me and wording is unedited. "Verified buyer" appears only on reviews Judge.me recorded as verified — Ranjita RAO, Sraddha, Antara Srinivas Iyer, Shanu Shah. The reviews from Ashwini, Jinal are published but not recorded as verified, and carry no badge. Reviews below five stars are included as published, not filtered out.
Figures verified 7 October 2026, CSI live pricing: Gardenia Fragrance Oil 15 g ₹105.02 (₹7.00/g), 50 g ₹223.02 (₹4.46/g), 100 g ₹433.00 (₹4.33/g), 500 g ₹2,166.00 (₹4.33/g), 1 kg ₹4,332.00 (₹4.33/g); Raat Ki Rani (Night-Blooming Jasmine) 15 g ₹130.00 (₹8.67/g), 50 g ₹370.00 (₹7.40/g), 100 g ₹700.00 (₹7.00/g), 500 g ₹3,387.00 (₹6.77/g), 1 kg ₹6,774.00 (₹6.77/g); Orchard Pear 15 g ₹105.02 (₹7.00/g), 50 g ₹240.00 (₹4.80/g), 100 g ₹380.00 (₹3.80/g), 500 g ₹1,870.00 (₹3.74/g), 1 kg ₹3,738.00 (₹3.74/g); Candle Dye Liquid Purple 15 ml ₹236.00, 50 gm ₹472.00, 100 gm ₹900.00; Clear Glass Jar with Golden Lid (150 gram) Pack of 10 ₹944.00, Pack of 20 ₹1,888.00; 200ml Salsa Glass Jar, clear, 100 Pcs ₹2,950.00 (₹29.50 a jar), 50 Pcs ₹1,475.00; Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 1 kg ₹507.40, 5 kg ₹2,537.00, 10 kg ₹5,074.00; Eco Candle Wicks Thin (C1) 50 ₹295.00, 500 ₹2,950.00; Thick (C2) 10 ₹94.40, 20 ₹188.80, 50 ₹472.00, 100 ₹944.00, 500 ₹4,720.00; C1 10-pack out of stock. Per unit = price ÷ grams or units, two decimals. Stock depth and dispatch dates for bulk quantities are not published: confirm on WhatsApp.
Non-price figures: the title gives no figures. The "about 500" enquiry, answer sets A and B, 8% load on total weight, extras, 5% loss buffer, 1% heel, 2% breakage, the 50/30/20 split, the ₹350.00 budget and the 4-day dye trial are labelled worked examples; the question-to-line matrix is a judgement. Wax and oil ceilings as the pages state (CSI 464 up to 10%; Gardenia up to 10% for soy; Raat Ki Rani 6–10% for candles; Orchard Pear: no candle load in the text we captured): formulation limits, not regulatory ones. No CSI dye page states a dose. Costs are CSI materials only and exclude labour, labels, packaging, freight, GST and marketing. Diwali 8 November 2026 is a calendar fact; the November–February wedding season is a commonly cited pattern.