How Much Does It Cost To Make A Concrete Candle Jar?

[@wendyblair8755]

Best video ever. You are an awesome teacher. Thank you.

[@sorayashahi]

As always, clear and straight to the chase. Love your videos.

[@calafiacandleco]

Thank you!

[@sayitloud3237]

Hi! This was very helpful. Yesterday I was scrolling and saw molds for resin concrete. I thought wow this would be so nice and cost effective to make candles with. And according to the calculations you showed us I was right! Thanks for breaking it down like this!

[@sharonhuntley6682]

That was very helpful thanks I had no idea how to work it out

[@kim99may]

I love the detail that you shared thank you Accounting for a living, so I really appreciate showing all the steps❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@calafiacandleco]

So glad you enjoyed it, Kim! Thank you for watching. :)

[@periseanbaltimore2037]

this was a concise and thorough break down, zero fluff here!!! thank you

[@calafiacandleco]

Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it. 😊

[@ashleyrenny]

i am so appreciative of your videos!!

[@calafiacandleco]

I’m glad! Thanks for watching 😊

[@wildaromaco]

Thank you Bree. Really helpful.

[@ObeyDaqSwaqq]

Thank you so much! I am so grateful to have come across your channel and learn how to make concrete vessels, color the vessels, and now price vessels!

[@calafiacandleco]

Thanks for watching! Appreciate it.

[@lizabethswitzer9113]

So helpful, thank you!

[@foampillowcomfort]

Great teaching video.. straight forward! Love it!

[@rogdrickaellis7566]

Thank you for sharing this! I watched your other video on how you keep track of your cog using inventora as well and it was helpful too. I’ll be getting started with making my own vessels this week and can’t wait. I can only imagine how my cog will be per finished candle.

[@calafiacandleco]

Have fun!! Thanks for watching 🙂

[@leticiaarroyo776]

I will try to make them and see how I do.

[@calafiacandleco]

Have fun!

[@teannahairston5729]

Very helpful, thank you for taking the time.

[@lorrainepurple]

My God I hate math and you just made this so simple to understand. I have struggled to understand how to break down the cost of goods and now I finally get it. Thank you, Thank you. Can you do a tutorial on how to calculate how much to charge per candle based on this? I'll appreciate it.

[@moumoudiakhite1975]

Yes please! I wanna start making my own too but i struggle with the same issue. Please let us know about the charge per candle

[@moumoudiakhite1975]

Yes please! I wanna start making my own too but i struggle with the same issue. Please let us know about the charge per candle

[@moumoudiakhite1975]

Yes please! I wanna start making my own too but i struggle with the same issue. Please let us know about the charge per candle

[@mojones3784]

Thank you for the time to share this break down!!

[@calafiacandleco]

Thank you for watching!

[@uncommonsoapery]

I love your videos! Question 🙋‍♀️ how many jars can you get out of 55lbs of cement all? I’m getting 50+-

[@calafiacandleco]

Thank you so much! It depends on the size of your mold. With the ones I've recently switched to, they take about 280g of cement all. With there being 24,948g in the 55lb bag, I can make 89 jars.

[@uncommonsoapery]

@@calafiacandleco I’m using the 3.5 tulip 🌷. You are an inspiration .

[@calafiacandleco]

@@uncommonsoapery So nice, thank you! I'm not sure how many grams that one takes, but it is larger than mine. So you'll get less jars than I can out of a 55lb bag.

[@earthdogpj1]

Why do you use distilled water?

[@shinningstar439]

Thank you soooo much!❤❤❤❤❤

[@adambland8779]

May i ask what wicks you use for these molds ....which have performed best ? Thanks

[@lisawalker7923]

Very helpful

[@roguebetter]

Do you consider your labor after you do your year end? What do you use as a number for labor?

[@oneheart.temple]

I think you need to add the cost of your labour/time as well.

[@calafiacandleco]

That is something I need to work on including in my COG! I definitely factor that into my retail pricing.

[@abundanthouseplants]

@@calafiacandleco this was great! Don't forget the cost of other supplies to make the concrete pots like paint brushes, paint, gloves, sticky things for the bottom, mask filters...

[@RaiderDonnie]

Thank for making such a great video! Is there a difference with using distilled water opposed to using regular tap water?

[@calafiacandleco]

I think it depends on your tap water. We have really hard water here, and I was getting spots all over my vessels when using tap water. When I switched to distilled, those spots went away :)

[@pintas.handmade]

Thank you so much! ❤

[@MellyBellyBoo]

Hey! Just wanted to mention, If you arent already, you can get tax exempt through homedepo with a manufacture/sellers permit. Itll help lower your cogs just abit more if you arent paying for tax on concreate/pigment Im also curious on your shipping cost. how much do the concreate vessels weigh? im looking into making my own instead of buying glass jars.

[@calafiacandleco]

Oh good to know! Thanks for the tip. Without wax, the Canadian silicone 3inch tulip weighs about 10.5oz. The modern craft labs 3 inch tulip weighs about 9oz. I really don’t find them to be much heavier than glass at all.

[@MellyBellyBoo]

@@calafiacandleco absolutely! Anything to help each other out ❤️ most places (candlescience, flaming candle, Cali candle supply) all accept tax exemption. Thanks! My biggest fear was the rise in shipping cost

[@CharlieLaDue-m5b]

Cost of fragrance blows that total! :) Your branding is nice.

[@calafiacandleco]

Thank you!

[@MoneyMimi]

Life saver Bree!!

[@MuhammadUsman-wv3es]

Hello , How are you . Thank you for such an informative video . I want to ask a question that why you don't add the cost of fragrance oil used in candle jars ? Thank you.

[@calafiacandleco]

Hello. This is just the cost for the concrete jar, not a candle.

[@earthdogpj1]

Do you mix the cement by hand to pour

[@calafiacandleco]

Yes I mix by hand :)

[@mckineedham]

Love the videos! Do you have a preferred place you get your wicks? Just looking to get started as a hobby, and test out different waxes/ wicks.

[@calafiacandleco]

Thank you for watching! I've ordered wicks from a bunch of different suppliers. If you're in the U.S., I mostly try and order from Northstar Country Candle Co. because they offer free shipping on all wicks, which is awesome!

[@maangotree]

Thank you so much for your content and sharing everything you know with your viewers! You're truly appreciated. Question: do you account for other items like wicks, stickers, warning labels, etc. then add that in separately? Would love your input on this... Thank you again!!

[@calafiacandleco]

Thanks for watching! Yes, to price out your full candle you would add in all those items using the same method.

[@maangotree]

@@calafiacandleco thanks so much!!

[@ServeElohim]

Great video!

[@jennifercampuzano1105]

Great video, what about color pigment? I would imagine it would still be under $1

[@calafiacandleco]

You would just have to add that in and do the same math. It really depends on the pigment as they all range in price.

[@Galaxy-tv2dh]

Thank you so much but what about wax?

[@zakiakhwaja6782]

Hi. Just came across this. Thanks for making the video. However, do you not factor the use of mixing sticks, foam brushes, sanding sponges, and other costs like packaging?

[@calafiacandleco]

Thanks for watching! This was just for demonstration purposes of a basic jar. When I price out my candles, I do include packaging and the other items needed to make the candle. When it comes to the brushes and sanding blocks etc., I personally don’t include those, but you definitely can if you’d like.

[@maemaebby]

Thank you so much!! ❤️

[@sarahwhitney8256]

Where are you finding cement all for that low it’s $48 plus tax at my home depo right now ?

[@calafiacandleco]

Wow that is outrageous! I get it at Home Depot. 55 pounds for $25.97. Are you in Hawaii? I had someone comment once that it is double the price in Hawaii.

[@erlpen2016]

Wow it is amazing what math can do for us….since I am interested in making the jars for planting my wife’s succulents I have to look at the “math” in a different way….if I only make one jar it would cost me about $118 (from your numbers)in order to lower the price I would have to keep on making them, as soon as I run out of sealer I would have to buy more sealer which would drive up the cost of the “vessels”(jars)….although if I look at the math from a different perspective like all the vessels(jars) that I have bought for my wife at a cost of $1.50 times 100= $150 and this estimate is kind of low because some of the vessels”jars” can cost like $4.00 each …it seems that making them would be cheaper….thank you for working out the numbers for us…

[@colleenbuford2964]

What about your labor? Do you factor that in at some point?

[@calafiacandleco]

Great question! Someone else asked that, as well. I probably should be factoring labor into my actual cost of goods. I definitely reflect it in my retail price.

[@colleenbuford2964]

@@calafiacandleco Reflecting it in your retail price works! It’s hard to think of it as “labor” anyway, because the process is so fun 🤣

[@JP-ht5vgh]

How much is shipping usually?

[@calafiacandleco]

Depends on your location. I believe for the modern craft labs mold I paid $8 shipping. The sealer was around $8, as well.

[@JP-ht5vgh]

@@calafiacandleco Ooh thank you so much! I forgot people can't read minds LOL i should reword that. I guess what i was trying to ask was how much it costs you to ship your candles. Given they are concrete, it weights a lot more than conventional glass jars. LOL

[@calafiacandleco]

@@JP-ht5vgh ahh got it! Lol. I’m on the west coast and I find that it ranges from $8-$9ish on the west coast to $13-$14 all the way on the east coast.

[@JP-ht5vgh]

@@calafiacandleco Ooh! Thank you for being so responsive :D. I'm looking into shipping rates myself and I've found them to be pricey on the $11 mark, not sure why. Thank you! Now I know I gotta keep looking for options 😃

[@calafiacandleco]

@@JP-ht5vgh have you checked out discounted shipping sites like pirate ship? I use sophify’s shipping rates which are comparable to pirate ship.

[@kimberlyspearman9181]

Thank you for this content.

[@MrGagger123]

Very inexpensive. However, time is money. How long does it take to make all of those jars you need? How long for one jar to cure?

[@calafiacandleco]

It is a very time consuming process! In my more recent videos, I discuss changing vessels for that particular reason.

[@patriciag1111]

Not related, but I love your nail polish!

[@calafiacandleco]

Thank you!

[@joematties7557]

How much time per jar? What is your time worth to you? If it takes you an hour to make 6 jars because you have 6 molds you have to figure cost based on what you would pay someone per hour. If I'm paying someone 15$ an hour and get 6 jars per hour that's another 2$ per jar. then you factor 5% for waste and mistakes. Probably closer to 3$ per jar is fair. That's also if your time is only worth 15$ an hour to you. If you calculate this as a side gig and don't have all the time to get these done, you're better off with glass. Just a few business tips

[@calafiacandleco]

Yep, all true! If you watch my recent videos, you will see I have since switched to glass primarily. I will still do concrete for limited edition collections, but it is very time consuming!

[@2sistersabuggywilkinsoncoy833]

You dont add in the cost of consumables?

[@calafiacandleco]

I’m sorry, what do you mean?

[@2sistersabuggywilkinsoncoy833]

@@calafiacandleco do you add in things like paper towels, gloves, face mask, the cost of the mold, those ideas that you use to make the product but dont go into the product.

[@calafiacandleco]

@@2sistersabuggywilkinsoncoy833 ah I see. I did factor in the cost of the mold into this example. But no, I don’t include paper towels or anything like that.

[@GreenWitch1]

How are you getting 55lbs of cement all for $26? I pay $28 for 10 lbs 😢

[@calafiacandleco]

That seems astronomically high for cement all! I get it from Home Depot and it’s $25.97 for 55lbs.

[@GreenWitch1]

@@calafiacandleco I got mine at Home Depot also just last week. I know things cost more here in Hawaii, but damn! You’re getting 5 times more for less money 😭

[@calafiacandleco]

@@GreenWitch1 Wow! That is a crazy

[@GreenWitch1]

@@calafiacandleco I was mistaken. It’s 25 lbs, but still 🙄 People think living in Hawaii is some kind of blessing. I assure you it’s not! It’s so expensive!! We pay two to three prices for everything. Unless you’re wealthy, it’s definitely not a blessing 😞

[@arachne1969]

You didn't add your time. How many jars can you make in an hour? How much do you plan to pay yourself? Unless you plan to work for free you need to put this at the top of the list.

[@calafiacandleco]

Hey Kate, I definitely reflect labor into my retail price. This was just a basic breakdown of the physical jar as an example.

[@mihaelaenache]

You did not include at all the cost of your work doing them, all the processes, all that time, all that energy. They are not free. You did not include the water washing your molds. The instruments you use to prepare the cement. The electricity if you need light in your working space… Should I continue? $0,70 is not a real cost if you only take in consideration those you mentioned…

[@calafiacandleco]

That’s getting really in-depth. This was just the basic cost for those interested.

[@lauriewilson4741]

Ugh 😩 math

[@calafiacandleco]

The worst!!