Materials Cost Calculator for Candles
Soap · Jewelry · Cost per Item Spreadsheet
View on Etsy- Excel + Google Sheets
- Instant download
Know what every handmade item really costs you in materials and packaging – even when you buy supplies by the pound, the troy ounce, the board foot, the yard of fabric or the 100-pack and use them a little at a time.
Type in what you paid for each supply and what each product uses. The spreadsheet converts the units, spreads the cost over the items one batch makes (counting the ones that fail), and shows the materials and packaging cost of one sellable item – for every product at once. Your time and selling fees are not part of it (see Good to know).
WHAT IT ANSWERS
- What do the materials in one candle, bar of soap or pair of earrings really cost?
- What does the packaging add per item?
- I bought it by the pound but use it by the ounce – what is that per item?
- How much do failed or unsellable items add to the cost of the sellable ones?
- Which supply makes up the biggest share of my cost?
- If a supplier raises a price by 10%, what does one item cost then?
HOW IT WORKS
- Supplies: one row per supply (up to 80) – the price you paid, any shipping and tax, the pack size and its unit. Mark boxes, tissue and mailers as packaging.
- Products: one row per product (up to 30) – how many items one batch makes and how many of them usually fail (a number of items, not a percentage).
- Recipes: list the supplies each product uses, one per row, with the amount for the whole batch – in any unit of the same kind: weight, volume, length, area or count (bought by the lb, used by the oz).
- Costs: materials per item and packaging per item for every product.
- Breakdown: pick a product to see each supply's cost and share, the biggest one highlighted, and what a price increase would do.
WHAT YOU GET
- Excel file (.xlsx), tested in Microsoft Excel for Windows – on a Mac, use the Google Sheets version
- Google Sheets version: a PDF with a link to make your own copy (use this one on a Mac or Chromebook if you do not have Excel)
- 32 units built in: oz, lb, g, kg, troy oz, pennyweight (dwt), carat (ct), fl oz, tsp, tbsp, cup, pint, quart, gallon (gal), mL, L, cubic inch, board foot, inch, foot, yard, mm, cm, m, square inch / foot / yard / cm / m, each, pair and dozen – plus rows for units of your own
- Start Here tab: step-by-step instructions and the plain-English meaning of every number (see photo 6)
- 5 example products (a soy candle, beaded earrings, a crochet baby hat, a leather card wallet and a cold process soap bar) – replace them with your own
GOOD TO KNOW
- Weight and volume do not mix: oil sold by the gallon cannot be weighed by the ounce, because that depends on how heavy the oil is. Bought in one kind and used in another? Measure once – weigh what is in the bottle, measure the wire's length, or work out the fabric's square inches. The Start Here tab shows how, and the sheet tells you when the units do not match.
- Enter packaging for every item a batch makes: it is spread over all the items made, and materials over the sellable ones, because a failed item still used its materials but never gets a box.
- A mailer that holds a whole order, or items sold at markets without a box? The Start Here tab shows how to enter both.
- Making one item at a time? Enter 1 item per batch and the amounts for one item.
- Only materials and packaging are counted – not your time, shop costs, selling fees or shipping labels.
- Pricing your items? The Handmade Pricing & Fee Calculator in our shop takes these two numbers and works out the price after every selling fee. The Handmade Pricing Bundle has both spreadsheets for less.
- Selling at craft fairs and markets too? The Craft Fair Planner & Sales Tracker in our shop shows the sales you need to break even at each event, and what each one really made.
- The unit sizes come from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
- Amounts are in US dollars.
- Only the yellow cells can be changed, so the formulas are hard to break by accident.
- Room for 80 supplies, 30 products and 180 recipe rows. Adding more rows is not supported; if you need more, use a second copy of the file (for example, one per product line).
- Made for a computer screen: the tabs are wide, and it has not been tested on a tablet or phone.
- This is a digital download. Nothing will be shipped.
- For education and planning only. This is not financial, tax, legal or business advice.
- For personal use in your own shop. Please do not resell or share the file.
ABOUT THIS TEMPLATE
Designed by SlateTally with the help of AI tools. Every result was checked in Microsoft Excel against an independent calculation, including unusual inputs such as units that do not match, a supply that is not on the list, a name used twice, a pack size of 0, every item of a batch failing and a unit of your own. The Google Sheets version was checked cell by cell against the Excel file.
Questions? Send a message – happy to help.
