Calculating mold/recipe size

by Janice
(West Virginia)

I am having trouble calculating the size of a recipe vs the mold. I did your basic soap recipe today.

I like to make large batches because I have 3 daughters who LOVE my soap and I send them many bars.

I used your calculator with the measurements of my mold. But how do I then adjust the recipe? I tripled the recipe and I had too much and had to scramble for something else to use as a mold.

By the way, I love your website and so happy I found it! I did the room temp method today and can't wait to unveil it tomorrow! I will never go back to the cold process again! My next adventure is to try the hot process. Thanks!

Answer:

Once you have used the calculation for mold volume to determine how much oil your recipe will need, you simply put that number into section 2 of SoapCalc and then input the percentages of your oils in the recipe into sections 6 and 7. Fill in the remainder of the of the soap calculator and hit calculate.

For example:

Using this formula...

Length of mold x Width of mold x Height of soap x .40 = ounces of oil needed

My mold is 6" x 6" and I pour my soap to 2.25" high so the calculation will be:

6" x 6" x 2.25" x .40 = 32.4 ounces

The calculation is done if you measure in ounces. Since I like working in grams, I convert the ounces over by mulfiplying the ounces by 28.375

32.4 ounces x 28.375 = 919.35 grams

Now that I know I need 919.35 grams of oil in my recipe, I place that number in section 2 of SoapCalc and I select the "grams" button since that is what I prefer to weigh my ingredients out in.

If I want to use the basic recipe:

Coconut 30%
Palm 30%
Olive 40%

Superfat 8%
Water as a percent of oil 36.23%

I input those ingredients and percentages into sections 6 and 7.

I adjust the Water as a percent of oil in section 3 to 36.23% and the superfat in section 4 to 8%.

Then all I have to do is hit the "Calculate Recipe" button and the "View or Print Recipe" button.

That's it!

Good luck and have fun!

Cathy