Formulator Calculation - Measuring by Weight

Natural Soap-making is an art, but it is also a science. You combine oils from nature (plants or/and animals) and combine it with an alkaline to make soap. An exact amount of alkaline is needed to change oil into soap, and there are other ingredients you may want to add to your soap, which also need to be measured.
In this post, we show you a simplified way to understand the math needed for successful soap making (which you could also apply to other formulations like lotion making etc).


Measurements

Every ingredient used to make soap MUST be measured, this helps you achieve a specific result, and also helps you get a consistent batch every time you produce a product, so if you want to re-do a particular soap you love, you know exactly how to make it again. Soap making is so precise that a small change (either too much or too little) of an ingredient can lead to a soap fail. Also, you are sure that you are using the right amount of an ingredient that is safe for use in skincare products.

Since liquid measurements are not as accurate as weight measurements, the basic method of measurement in soap making is by weight (how heavy it is), not volume (not how much it is), you weigh the ingredients on a scale.

There are two common weight measurements:
grams (g) and ounces (oz).

Grams
The gram measurement is also called the "metric unit" for measuring the weight of an object, it is used in Europe, Canada and most of Africa. It is represented with a small letter "g".
1000 grams make up a kilogram (kg).


Ounces
The ounce measurement is commonly used in the United States. It is represented with small letters "oz".
16 ounces make up a pound (lb).



Grams vs Ounces
Ounces are heavier than grams:
28.3 grams is equivalent to 1 ounce

Using Grams, Ounces, Kilograms and Pounds

A recipe will usually have the ingredients listed in either grams or ounces. The first thing you need to be certain of is that all the measurements should be written with the same value (either all in grams or all in ounces) not the two. This not only makes your work easier, but it ensures you have an accurate formula that is not likely to fail.
Its easier to work with the smaller values (grams instead of kilograms, or ounces instead of pounds) as this is more precise; imagine having to measure 0.2kg instead of simply measuring 200g. Measuring in grams will be more accurate than measuring in kilograms.

However, if you have a recipe that is listed in kilograms or pounds, you can convert the figures to grams or ounces by multiplying the kilograms by 1000, or multiplying the pounds by 16.
For example: Let me make up a recipe, just something we can use to learn how to convert values, so this is not an actual soaping recipe.




To convert the kilogram recipe into grams, multiply each ingredient by 1000:
Olive oil 0.3kg x 1000 = 300g
Coconut Oil 0.2kg x 1000 = 200g
Castor Oil 0.05kg x 1000 = 50g

To convert the pound recipe into ounces, multiply each ingredient by 16:
Olive oil 2lb x 16 = 32oz
Coconut Oil 1lb x 16 = 16oz
Castor Oil 0.3lb x 16 = 4.8oz

Converting Ounces to Grams and Vice-versa

You may find a recipe in ounces but want to have it in grams, or in grams and want it in ounces.


To convert ounces to grams, multiply each ingredient by 28.3
To convert grams to ounces, divide each ingredient by 28.3

Note:
If you convert a recipe for soap making, you MUST run the recipe through a lye calculator to get the amount of lye and liquid needed to make soap with your new recipe. NEVER convert the lye and water amounts yourself.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section.
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