# Soap/Lye Calculators; A guide



## IanT

I thought it would be helpful to everyone to put together a little guide to the soap calculators that were available online, as well as some relevant information. 

I would like this to be an evolving thread because I realize that there are quite a few calculators available, and there are most likely some more to come with the new development of technology. My advice is to read as much as you can on each of these websites to gain an open perspective, and as much information as possible, as well as ask questions on the SMF. 

For now, I have included the calculators I have found to be most popular within the forum. Feel free to post any questions you may have as well (we realize that these calculators can be quite confusing at first glance), so don't be shy!! The only stupid question is a question that is never asked!

Should you wish to add anything to this thread, please feel free to PM me and I would be happy to oblige!

Note: The calculations may vary from calculator to calculator.

First, I highly recommend that you read this introductory post by our lovely site admin (Thank you Mandy!):

Using a lye calculator

 As well as read the info posted on this website about oil properties that may help with getting a general idea for the oils that you will use. Many of the calculator websites have similar listings:

http://www.soapnuts.com/indexoils.html


*Soap/Lye Calculators:*



*1.) SoapCalc*

http://www.soapcalc.com/default.asp

*Description: *
This site offers a wide range of possibilities, the user is able to enter ingredients as a weight or percent as well as adjust properties of the soap such as super fat/discount %. This site has loads of useful information, one link I found particularly useful when i was first starting out was the "what will I need" link, which gives the inexperienced soaper a concise list of supplies needed to start soaping with.


*2.) 'Majestic Mountain Sage' lye calculator*

http://thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php

*Description: *
In this calculator, users are able to input the amount of oils in percent of total oils, there are also clickable links leading to oil properties as well as suggested amounts of use in recipe's. This site also includes a table after the recipe is calculated that lets the user choose a super-fat percent to be used in the recipe.


*3.) SoapMaker*

http://www.soapmaker.ca

*Description:*

Note: this is a free trial, users must purchase the full program after trial period expires.

"Create your own recipes, selecting from more than 50 types of base oils. Include your additives too. SoapMaker calculates lye and water, as well as the cost per bar using your ingredient costs. Experiment with recipes and see how they'll turn out before you make the soap... SoapMaker's unique recipe qualities graph shows you the predicted hardness, lather and moisturizing qualities. Compare different recipes and see the results of changes instantly using the dynamic graph feature .Store all your recipes and organize them by category, type, date and cost With SoapMaker Professional, manage your stock of ingredients and products made... your inventory adjusts automatically whenever you "make a batch" (quoted from soapmaker website"


*4.)  Maple Springs* (added by Paul)

http://www.maplesprings.com/soapcalc.html

* Description: *

"To use the Maple Springs Farm soap lye calculator... simply enter in number of ounces per oil and the amount of lye, water, fragrance, and pigments will be automatically calculated for you...The Calculator is for Sodium Hydroxide = NAOH " This site is quite useful, it gives feedback regarding the size of the recipe as well as how many ounces of essential oils, and oxide/pigments are recommended for the given recipe size. This is quite a valuable tool to if you input recipes that have already been formulated to determine the right coloring amounts and essential oils, or formulate your own!


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## pjdxxxwa

Hi Ian.  I just wanted to add a little advice to your listing. It is wise to not jump about using calculators. Look them over, perhaps try each one with the same recipe and see which one works best for you. There could be slight differences in the Sap Numbers and using only one calculator, in the end, will help you to tweak recipes as you see how fast/slow each recipe hardens and sets up.  

As an added thought, staying with the same brand of any oil will help keep your soap batches consistent, also.


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## cambree

Thanks for making the list Ian.  At the moment, I'm really liking MMS.  



> Look them over, perhaps try each one with the same recipe and see which one works best for you.



Yes, I will do that too.    

Soap making Oils and their Characteristics by the Cole Brothers - I really like how they explain the different characteristics of oils and how well they mix together.


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## IanT

no worries


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## soapdope

i use mms  for increasing batches  and soapcalc  for everything else


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## MsBrenda

Does anyone know if there is a soap calc designed for HP soap making? 

So far all the calcs seem to be for CP for the lye/water ratoi. 

I usually take the lye amount recommended and round it off to the nearest .50. Take that number x 4 and that will be my water amount to mix the lye. 

The soap takes a couple weeks to dry but at least it's workable to swirl and fill fancy molds.  I haven't had any problems so far with smaller batches. 3 to 6 pounds.


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## robindeb

Hi Brenda, 

Just sent you an email.  But in case anyone else could benefit I use soap calc for my HP batches as well as CP.  I do change the water down to 32 % of oils and super fat to 7%.  I came up with the change in the caluclations from loading several recipes that I had tried from Delores Boone's book on HP.  Hope this helps.


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## earthmother99

*? soap calc*

kk I'm really confused I have managed to get my oils in where i want them to be but im having problems with the lye and water part not sure what I am doing wrong other then puter doesnt seem to like that site. Any way I cant seem to figure out how much water and lye i need to use. Am I not clicking or entering something that I should????? Thanks Di


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## ballininthamix

*Re: ? soap calc*



			
				earthmother99 said:
			
		

> kk I'm really confused I have managed to get my oils in where i want them to be but im having problems with the lye and water part not sure what I am doing wrong other then puter doesnt seem to like that site. Any way I cant seem to figure out how much water and lye i need to use. Am I not clicking or entering something that I should????? Thanks Di



Yeah that part was confusing to me too. I'm also curious about a couple other things that may belong elsewhere(please let me know):

I understand how to super-fat my soaps and have done it before, but I have made enough to really know why I'm doing it. Can anyone elaborate on why I would want to super-fat a particular soap and what it does?

The same goes for water-discounting for me although this I have yet to try. I understand how to do it, but what is the point?


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## dagmar88

hi
superfatted soap is less drying on your skin, because the extra oil is not saponified and keeps it's moisturizing properties. also, the oil used, keeps its specific characteristics.
water-discounting makes your soap harden faster. for example, a 100% olive oil soap should be harder and less sticky with less water.

Xx- dagmar


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## Cattleyabubbles

Anyone know of a lye calculator available that includes all the oils & butters; especially some of the uncommonly used specialty oils (i.e. Argan, Copaiba, Manketti, Yangu) :?: Most of the lye calc.(s) that I've come across, all have the same base oils (e.g. Castor, Coconut, Olive). I want to be a little more adventurous in using some of these specialty oils (veg./fruit oils/butters) in my soaps without having to figure out how much lye is needed, water discount or what % of oil is need to superfatten the soap.


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## Deda

I use Soapmaker, you can add any oil you want as long as you know the SAP value and the profile for the fatty acids.


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## rupertspal42

Ok so I sent this posting to my SSG because he's really good with EXCEL.. he's going to try to make me a soap and lye calc using the info posted and the soap calcs as examples.. this way I can modifify things.. now i'm going to have to see how well this works before I seriously use it but I hope this turns out like planned...  :?


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## sweetcreekherbs

*how much lye?*

I know this is all personal preference, but I sure do prefer to use my little hand calculator and figure this out for myself.

It is not that I don't trust machines...

But, when I'm working out a new recipe - and I am trying to get it to fit certain parameters, especially the INS value, I want to see my work.

So, I do this on paper, and have a few variations before I find the one I think is "perfect" (a very relative term).  And, best of all, I can see all my work.  Keeps the confusion down for me.  

 :wink:


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## mariejeanne

*Agree - Old fashion calculator*

I agree, I am very new to this but no matter how many times or different types of online lye calculaors I have played with, I end up grabbing my pen and working it out on my own.  Sometimes I will compare my own computations (is that a word?) to what the online calculators come up with.  So I think they are a great tool, but I just have to double check everything anyway. Make that triple....Online Calculator > Sit down with pen using mental math > check with hand held calculator.
Ummm, maybe I am my own problem here.  To each their own I guess.  I like them as a starting point.


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## flyingpig

*Re: how much lye?*



			
				sweetcreekherbs said:
			
		

> I know this is all personal preference, but I sure do prefer to use my little hand calculator and figure this out for myself.
> 
> It is not that I don't trust machines...




I did this too, for years.  For every batch I did the math by hand (with a calulator of course) and then did it again to be sure I hadn't made mistakes.  One reason for this is that as you all will have noticed if you've compared online calculators, they tend to vary a little.  This is because the numbers are averages.  So over the years I've evolved my own SAP chart that still gets refined a little from time to time.

Recently I set up a database in Excel that figures all that math for me.  What a timesaver!  And I know it's right, every time.


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## diochobi

*Re: how much lye?*



			
				flyingpig said:
			
		

> sweetcreekherbs said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know this is all personal preference, but I sure do prefer to use my little hand calculator and figure this out for myself.
> 
> It is not that I don't trust machines...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did this too, for years.  For every batch I did the math by hand (with a calulator of course) and then did it again to be sure I hadn't made mistakes.  One reason for this is that as you all will have noticed if you've compared online calculators, they tend to vary a little.  This is because the numbers are averages.  So over the years I've evolved my own SAP chart that still gets refined a little from time to time.
> 
> Recently I set up a database in Excel that figures all that math for me.  What a timesaver!  And I know it's right, every time.
Click to expand...


Would you like to share that Excel file with me, the newbie?


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## ohsoap

I had no idea there was a soapcalc that took colouring into account, that will save me alot of guess work on new soaps!


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## anneli

I took a peek at the http://www.soapmaker.ca website.. it looks very tempting but also expensive. Is it worth the money it is asking for? Like I said, it sounds good, but I would like to be sure before spending 89.- dollars on it. (I could not find a link there for a FREE TRIAL.. did I miss it?)


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## Guest

anneli said:
			
		

> I took a peek at the http://www.soapmaker.ca website.. it looks very tempting but also expensive. Is it worth the money it is asking for? Like I said, it sounds good, but I would like to be sure before spending 89.- dollars on it. (I could not find a link there for a FREE TRIAL.. did I miss it?)



I didn't see the free trial either. Plus, they have a new version and to upgrade the older versions is another cost. I looked thru it briefly, but nope, I wouldn't spend that kind of money when there are free calcs out there. I use one and make wonderful soaps with very few messed up batches...which aren't really messed up, they become personal/laundry soap. 
IDLaura


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## ohsoap

Besides Soapcalc and Soapmaker, are there any other calculators that give you the values and/or a picture of what your recipe will be like. I would like to run my recipe threw another site other then soapcalc to see how it differs, but haven't found any others that do this.


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## IanT

Im not sure but if you dont have soapmaker and need someone to run numbers through there for you just let me know and I would be happy to help! (If there are any sites that have recently popped up I will gladly update this listing)


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## ohsoap

Thanks for the offer, I'm just curious at the differences mostly.  I tweek my recipes way to often to do that to you though.


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## IanT

ohsoap said:
			
		

> Thanks for the offer, I'm just curious at the differences mostly.  I tweek my recipes way to often to do that to you though.



lol I dont care its all good..Im unemployed so I have NOTHING to do right now...bored out of my everloving mind


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## Woodi

In our defense I can tell you that SoapMaker is not just a lye calculator. It also contains an extensive costing and inventory control system, which really comes in handy at tax time each year.

but most of all: we stand behind our product. You know who we are, you can reach us. We talk to users daily. We also created a users forum where you can talk with other SoapMaker owners. Many of them have thought of unique ways to use the program, which even we hadn't thought of!

Why it's not free: Not only the first version, but also the updated version of it took my hubby many many programming hours, days, weeks, months... to create, and SoapMaker 3 includes all the features which customers requested after using the first one for a few years. We have been told by many programmers that as a software program, it is worth much more than what we are asking for it.

As for SAP values and the differences between numbers on the different lye calculators out there, remember that the numbers have to be approximate. Even if your oils supplier is extremely honest with you and gives you exact numbers (if he even knows them - heck, even the oil manufacturers themselves can't be that exact). 
It even depends on the plants themselves, from which the oils were extracted: what kind of soil they were grown in, whether the season was dry or wet, how strong the initial seed or vine was.....etc. etc. etc. 

Soapmaking is as much an art as a science.  What I like most about using Soapmaker, besides its ease of usage,  is that I can so easily compare one recipe with another. Once you have a recipe that you've made....you can see what numbers show up for that particular soap batch. If you like the soap, find other recipes that give those same numbers. It's so easy to create new recipes instantly, and see how they compare with one another on the graph. Play, have fun!

We created this program for people who don't like to do math, and would rather be making soap, wrapping soap, selling soap, planning their next batches, keeping on top of wholesalers, keeping in touch with customers etc....!

but if you like to do your own math, kudos to you!


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## IanT

I love it its like quickbooks for soapers absolutely essential for someone desiring to run a business..


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## redmom

hi everyone!

i'm totally new to soapmaking.

i'm exploring the different soap calculators available online. 
i have some questions to get started (and hope it doesn't sound too silly)
- how do i know the weight of oils i'm going to use?
- how do i figure out how many percentage of each type of oil to use?

please help! 
i hope someone can point me to the right direction to get going on this.
i feel so clueless seeing all the online calculators.


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## Deda

I strenuously agree with Woodi, Soapmaker is way more than a lye calculator.  I think the product is well worth the price.


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## EarthTouched

*soap calculators*

I couldn't live without soapmaker ca.  Worth every penny. LOVE it!


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## IanT

*Re: soap calculators*



			
				EarthTouched said:
			
		

> I couldn't live without soapmaker ca.  Worth every penny. LOVE it!




Ill drink to that


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## Tiristia

I can't find "Canola Olive Oil" on any of the soap calcs. It there another name for this blend?


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## MiniDonk

On soap calc. I can see where to add all the oils. Where / how would I add goats milk if I were to use that in a recipe? Or do I just add it instead of water? Also do I have to do anything to account for using essential oils? TIA.


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## PrairieCraft

You can just substitute your goats milk for your water portion.  The EOs do not count as a base oil.  You can plug the EO amount into the Fragrance box.  I think most soapers here recommend using EOs at .5 oz PPO.


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## mokadas

*thanks for this thread*

I'm another one to sing soapmakers praises from london. I have been using it for 2 years and i use it 95% for creams and butters and 2.5 for bar soap and the rest even for food calculations .
this thread is great thank you for it as it explains soap cals very well.


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## gilligan

*confused...*

I've read this thread and the links, but I still have a question:

when I plug in a recipe I'd like to try I am NEVER satisfied with the values on the left hand side of soapcalc.  I try to get all of the values within the ranges specified, but I never seem to be able to get more than one or two of them to be good.

For instance, I've made 2 batches of 100% olive oil soap to practice.  I feel clean after my showers, but it has a cleaning value of 0.

I have also plugged in some recipes into soapcalc that other people have said that they like (and some from books) and soapcalc comes back with odd numbers in the #5 box of soapcalc.

My question is this:  Am I worrying about #5 in soapcalc too much or is it actually terribly important?

Thanks!!!!


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## Woodi

re the canola-olive oil. I wrote to a manufacturer from whom I bought some, and they told me it was a blend of 60% olive, 40% canola.

So what I do, (I use the soapmaker program of course cuz I am married to the creator of it (although, I DID help write it too)....is to create a new oil in my SoapMaker db, call it CanOlive (or whatever you like)...put in the properties for the 60/40 blend mixture.

If you use SoapMaker, it is all explained under the Help menu. (Choose Frequently Asked Questions, then on the Questions and Answers page, under the Supplies heading, click on "I purchased a blend of oils - how can I determine the properties?"

There ya go! 

(Hubby added this feature when I bought my first CanOlive blend.)


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## LushishLux

Thank you for making this post. It was super helpful. I hope to soon get soapmaker.ca  Just looking at the website made me drool. Everything all in one place.


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## debbism

Just one more lye calc...I found an additional one at summerbeemeadow.com which you can plug in your recipe and re-size it to fit your mold which is great for me since I make all my own log molds and round tube molds.  But if I run anything thru this calculator, I always run it through MMS to make sure i am on the mark.....


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## khermsen

For what it is worth.  A few weeks ago I purchased Soapmaker.  Although I am still in the learning stage of using the program, so far I can see its potential for helping to do a detailed accurate product cost analysis.


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## pesikey

I've used 'soap calc pro' designed for Iphone and Ipad.  There are oils qualities on this calc. First I used free version, but the autobalancing option on pro version is great. Try this, I've found it quite usefull.


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## Sue Bear

I use Soapmaker now but for my first 9 months of soaping I used the calculators on Wholesale Supplies Plus. I found them easy to use and very helpful.

Percentage Calculator:  http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/Ca ... lator.aspx

Batch Calculator: http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/Ca ... lator.aspx

Lye Calculator: http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/Ca ... alcWP.aspx


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## TopRock

Not sure if this has been asked before (I apologized if it has); 

Do lye calculators give you the water needed in fluid ounces or weight ounces?  I know that the measurement either way is ver similar but when dealing with larger batches it is a difference. Thanks!


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## Hazel

The amounts on lye calculators are for weight. Always weigh the ingredients because it's more accurate.


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## TopRock

Thanks Hazel! I have seen people referring to FL ounces when it comes to specicialty soaps like beer and coffee so I was just making sure.


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## Hazel

You're welcome. I wish all questions were as easy to answer.


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## danahuff

My two favorite lye calculators are Bramble Berry's and Natural Soap Boutique's. I check out several, and I notice that the results are always slightly different, but never by a whole lot, and I have had good results with these two calculators.


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## Hazel

It's really personal preference on what calculator you like. I dislike Brambleberry's calc because I have to re-enter everything if I want to go back and change percentages. Plus you have to remember to change the SF from 0% to whatever you percentage you want. I know people in the past have asked for help and it was found they had forgotten to change the percentage. Whereas with SoapCalc, it opens the recipe into a new tab and I can easily change percentages if I'd like to see a variation. I can do this several times and click the back button to return to a recipe page if I decide I'd rather print off a previous variation. SoapCalc has a 5% default SF so you don't end up with a lye heavy batch if you do forget to change it.

I've never seen the other lye calc you mentioned but I went and looked at it. Interesting. It looks like a blend of SoapCalc and Soapmaker in the way it's set up. I entered a recipe to see how it worked and wasn't impressed. It has a limited amount of oils and butters compared to SoapCalc. I also didn't like how the oils are listed non-alphabetically but I guess if you got used to using it that wouldn't be so annoying. Also, there isn't any way to change the SF and according to the site it's supposed to calculate a 5% SF. The amount of lye it showed would be -1 according to SoapCalc. I decided to try the same recipe on Brambleberry. You can't figure a minus SF level on Brambleberry. It stops at 0%. However, the amount this site recommends is still .8 oz more than BB gives for a 0% SF which would make approximately a -3% difference in the SF level. Of course, I'm not very good at calculations and I could have figured this wrong. But I'd say it's highly probable the batch would be lye heavy. I did notice the difference for a 5% on BB as compared to this other site was 1 oz. According to BB's calculations, 1 oz of lye is enough to take the SF percentage from 0% up to 10%. In my opinion, that's more than a slight difference. However, I only checked one recipe on all of them.

But as I said above, it's personal preference. How many batches have you made using this calc and how did they turn out?


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## danahuff

I have made a few batches, and they all turned out well. None of them were lye heavy, and they made nice bars. I know what you mean about forgetting to make changes to the Bramble Berry calculator. That is annoying, and I've done it, too, but again, my soap has turned out nice when I have been careful about checking all the numbers. I have come to prefer Bramble Berry because, as you said, the variety of oils is greater. I just found out about SoapCalc and have been running my recipes through them just to check and found the Bramble Berry calculator's numbers were more similar to SoapCalc's. It may seem weird, but one reason I like the other one is that when I run a recipe and hit print, it gives me predictions about how the bar will turn out. I don't rely on it so much for calculations as I do to see what it says about the recipe. For example, here is a prediction for a recipe I use a lot:

   * INS: 160
   * Hardness: medium
   * Cleansing: very good
   * Conditioning: great
   * Foaming: good
   * Stable lather: average

That is easier for me, as a newbie, to wrap my head around than figuring out what it means if numbers are high in Lauric or Oleic acid. If I run my favorite recipe through the Natural Soap Boutique calculator, it asks for 5.7 oz. of lye, 13.3 oz. water. The same recipe in Bramble Berry asks for 5.637 oz. lye, 13.2 oz water. SoapCalc figures the same recipe needs 5.691 oz. lye and 13.2 oz. water. The difference could be that the Natural Soap Boutique calculator doesn't allow you to use tenths. You are limited to whole numbers, which I agree, is a real problem with that calculator. But at least with that one recipe, I wasn't seeing a whole lot of difference in the amount of lye and water needed. I haven't run a lot of recipes through the calculators, though, so it could vary widely, I suppose, based on what you are using and how much and certainly whether you have it down to tenths of an ounce.


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## Hazel

I'd still recommend using extra caution with that calculator and double check the lye amounts. I rarely use 5% SF so I wouldn't use it even if I thought the lye amount was okay. I prefer being able to adjust the SF to allow for extra conditioning, if I'm using cream or if I'm making a salt batch.


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## danahuff

Hazel, none of the soaps I made with that calculator have turned out bad, but I have stopped using it. The more I use SoapCalc, the more I realize it is clearly superior to the other calculators. I really like that it gives weights in grams, ounces, and pounds, though I'm not sure I'd ever make a batch big enough to worry with pounds. I also like that it allows you to easily change and tweak until you're happy. I have come to worry about the other calculator now that I realize how precise you need to be when working with small batches. I don't think I'll ever use it again. I also find it worrisome that it will not allow for tenths of an ounce. Anyone coming by here, please don't use that calculator! I wouldn't use it anymore, and I don't endorse it.


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## sueforce

Just joined so apologies if this lands in the wrong place!

I have been making CP soaps for about 2 yrs - really concerned about the lye calculators - as far as I can see none of them state original sources for SAPS - so where have they come from? How accurate are they given that all oils have a fatty acid composition that presumably reflects the source material, growing conditions and seasonal variation and that suppliers will comply with a set of specifications that stipulate a range of values for each particular fatty acid?

The only answer I have had to my question is 'based on traditional values from years ago' - but things have changed.

Does anyone else have any comment or answers re source for SAPs?

Sue


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## sueforce

And how can this be explained: I met a CP soapmaker who had been using 20% too much NaOH / lye for years without any problems. Selling well, lots of exposure. No 'burning' or ashing or signs of unprocessed NaOH The recipe used 30% sunflower oil, very rich in polyunsaturates, did that have an impact? PH fine and measured using an ISO rated pH meter (mine).

But - mixing was v good I suspect, probably very homogeneous - is this more important than lye content?

I would be really interested in any comments on this.

Sue


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## squigglz

Putting this here because I couldn't find it elsewhere and I personally want to know how to do it by hand in case I lose internet for any reason:

http://www.certified-lye.com/lye-soap.html

That'll show you the equations you need and whatnot to calculate this out by hand.


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## justinwp

I have a new *web based* calculator in the works. It's a little more modern and responsive with charts! I still need to do the styling...  (See the screenshot)
- PM me if you would like to beta test it. 
- PM me if you have javascript, jquery, php, mysql skills and would like to help in the development?

*Some of the existing features:*
- Properties and Lye/Water calculations are instant
- Ability to see how your recipe compares to others with charts.
- Liquid/Bar/Custom mix between NaOH or KOH
- Instantly switch between units
- Instantly change batch size without leaving the page
- Ingredients are sortable by properties, fatty acids, cost, popularity, etc
- Unique page for every recipe(save as many as you want)

*Planned features:*
- Clean print view
- Find any recipe you have made on your user page
- Search recipes by properties, oils, etc.
- Recipe Cost Estimate
- Custom Ingredient Tables(Hide what you don't have or adjust properties, cost etc)
- Additives(EO, FO, Other)
- Embed recipe on forums or other websites

Tell me what else you would like in a soap calculator and I will see what I can do!


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## Lotus

Has anyone ever used this Lye Calculator? If so, please tell me what you think/thought. 

http://www.soapguild.org/soapmakers/resources/lye-calc.php


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## angie's

I am cooking my soap and to my horror I notice oil has floated to the top, the whole thing looks quite liquidy/with small curdles. Is there anything that I can do to save this batch?


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## Hazel

How long have you been cooking it? Have you tried stirring it really well?


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## Hazel

Which one was hijacked? I checked all of the links in the entire thread and wasn't attacked. I did remove the two links in the first post since those calculators are gone.


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## Fabius

All the remaining links seem to be working. Maybe the problem was on my end. Thanks for removing the dead links.


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## Hazel

Could have been a glitch. Thank you for pointing out the old links. I don't realize older posts need cleaned up or corrected unless someone mentions it. Although, sometimes I do stumble across something when I'm doing a search.


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## Bann51

Hi Earthmother99. First I would make sure I have entered the information on top correctly, such as whatever measurement unit your using.If you use ounces, it automatically defauts to 16. You can change that. Enter superfat, fragrance, etc. The calculate should come up with a circle filled in on ounces or pounds or whatever measurement you chose. After you select your oil, and press+, you put in your weight measure for that oil.  When you complete all the oils: 1) Press Calculate Recipe. That gives you the total in weight of your oils. After that 2) Click on View/Print Recipe. Then look up on your tabs. A new tab will open that says View/Print Recipe. Click on that tab. That's where you find your recipe listed and in pink on the top of that page you will see your water and lye amounts. Hope this helps.


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## Bann51

Oops! Didn't realize this was an old thread. I probably answered something that was already posted and answered. Anyway. hope someone can use the info. I use SoapCalc and I have also checked my recipe against other calculators, but I like that one best. Being a new cp soaper I like the exact amounts it gives. Some of them give a range and that's not good for me yet. I'll have to experiment more to understand how to work within a range.


----------



## shy

Hello...

I have a question.. is there any SAP difference between palm oil and fractionated palm oil? I can't find fractionated oil at lye calc..
Please help :-?


----------



## sistrum

I haven't  heard of fractionated palm oil in soaping, but yes they would have different sap values.  Or do you mean fractionated palm KERNEL oil?  In that case palm oil and PKO are from the same tree but totally different things.  Palm oil is more like lard and tallow while PKO is more like coconut oil and again would have different sap values.  

 Does that help?

If you don't get a lot of answers here try posting in the CP soap section.  If a mod doesn't switch it for you.  Good luck


----------



## Basicgrey7

Can someone do an example? On one of the calcs with a recipe that just asks for ounces?


----------



## Bann51

Here's one from Soap Queen. It's called Lots of Lather. I put it through SoapCalc. The recipe calls for ounces. Don't know if this what you want.


----------



## QuanahRose

The calculator at https://summerbeemeadow.com/ has a resizing feature that I've found very helpful. One you enter your soap recipe and calculate it, you can use the resizing function to size the recipe to whatever mold you want to use. 

Once I print out the resized recipe, I still run it through SoapCalc and print that so I have the amounts in ounces and grams and have the "notes" section that the SoapCalc printout provides.


----------



## cm4bleenmb

I use SoapCalc most often. I find it easy to use and in addition to the area for notes and additives, I love that it has those handy little check boxes beside each of the oils. I set my oils up in the order they're listed, then as I weigh them out, I set the container somewhere else and check the box--it makes me feel surer of myself when I have a recipe with a variety of oils. And the snapshot it gives you of your soap's qualities is helpful too.
One thing I do like about the calculator at MMS is that range of SF percentages. As long as I am using a recipe that I plan to keep between 5 and 10 percent, I could print more than one copy and make them all different. 
I had never heard of Maplesprings, I thought a calculator that gave recommendations for fragrance and pigments sounded useful so I checked it out. It is very simple to use but there aren't many oils to choose from and since they have no way of knowing if I'm using EOs or FOs for the fragrance, or pigments, micas, oxides, or herbs for the colorant, I really don't find that part useful at all. 
I have not looked at the Summerbee Meadow calculator, when I try to go there my computer tells me there is a problem with the site's security certificate.


----------



## angelapferr

Just to add to the list, I have been using "Summer Bee Meadow" lye calculator. I really like this website and it is easy to use. hope this helps
http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/lye-calculator-and-recipe-resizer


----------



## grayceworks

I just found this one. Haven't tried it yet...

http://www.tlcsoaps.com/tlcsoapcalc.htm


----------



## cm4bleenmb

grayceworks said:


> I just found this one. Haven't tried it yet...
> 
> http://www.tlcsoaps.com/tlcsoapcalc.htm



Either it's really, really slow or it doesn't work. I think that is an old site. But it's also possible I missed something.


----------



## SoapMakingTommy

Hello i am using http://www.soapcalc.net/ and i was wondering why there is basically 3 different soap quality's  for hardness?
There is Harness witch is the first one, Then there is the bottom two, Iodine & INS, All 3 refer to hardness.

I made a recipe i liked but only the first one for hardness was good the bottom two were  bit out of range and i was wondering What the difference are and how to understand them correct?

Thank You


----------



## ilovesoap2

I also have a question on soapcalc.net.

Item #3 is water and the first option is 

'water as a % of oils' and the default is 38
the next option is lye concentration %
and finally water:  lye ratio

I know this is probably asking a lot but will
someone please help me to understand what
it's asking me to do and how it helps the soap?
Thank you.


----------



## LupitaTX

Have any of you guys used soap calc app for the iphone? If so what do you guys think of it because so far i love it!! And ive been using it and i want you ladies and gets opinion.


----------



## SoapMakingTommy

ilovesoap2 said:


> I also have a question on soapcalc.net.
> 
> Item #3 is water and the first option is
> 
> 'water as a % of oils' and the default is 38
> the next option is lye concentration %
> and finally water:  lye ratio
> 
> I know this is probably asking a lot but will
> someone please help me to understand what
> it's asking me to do and how it helps the
> Thank you.



Hi ilovesoap2 the default value is for beginner to use, If you are not familiar with what you are doing.
Once your recipe is calculated you will want to print it out and the last page it will redirect you to will have a spreadsheet of your recipe in a more arranged and straight forward way of reading.


----------



## sherri williams

I use the bramble berry and majestic mountain sage lye calculator.


----------



## Lion Of Judah

SoapMakingTommy said:


> Hello i am using http://www.soapcalc.net/ and i was wondering why there is basically 3 different soap quality's  for hardness?
> There is Harness witch is the first one, Then there is the bottom two, Iodine & INS, All 3 refer to hardness.
> 
> I made a recipe i liked but only the first one for hardness was good the bottom two were  bit out of range and i was wondering What the difference are and how to understand them correct?
> 
> Thank You



i will start from the bottom 1st : INS is basically the combination of your Iodine value and SAP value , so it is actually the sum of something , being the Iodine [2nd] which is the indication of how much iodine that will react to 100 grams of fats or oils, the harder the bar and the less the conditioning qualities and vice versa. which brings us to "Hardness" , this hardness is that of the soap bar coming out of the mold. // now i will say this your oils and butters used will get you a hard bar of soap as well and even 100% OO will get you a very hard bar after cure. .you can help your hardness as well by using 1 tablespoon of salt per pound of oil and butter combined [ if you are making a three pound batch of soap then you would use 3 tablespoons of salt ] added to your liquid before adding the lye to create your lye water.be sure it is totally dissolved ...  this will greatly add to the hardness.
IMHO >< i try to create a long lasting bar , so in the beginning my soap were hard but not long lasting and since adding salt they tend to last a little bit longer than before. someone pointed out to me that using a washcloth as oppose to using the bar of soap directly to the skin helps the life of the bar , which after testing i agree 100%.


----------



## ilovesoap2

SoapMakingTommy said:


> Hi ilovesoap2 the default value is for beginner to use, If you are not familiar with what you are doing.
> Once your recipe is calculated you will want to print it out and the last page it will redirect you to will have a spreadsheet of your recipe in a more arranged and straight forward way of reading.



Thanks for trying to help me 

Unfortunately I did not find the answer.  I understood the
default is for noobs like myself and I'm just wondering what happens
and how to adjust the water using the other 2 options.  I keep looking
and nothing is clicking in my head.


----------



## seven

ilovesoap2 said:


> Thanks for trying to help me
> 
> Unfortunately I did not find the answer.  I understood the
> default is for noobs like myself and I'm just wondering what happens
> and how to adjust the water using the other 2 options.  I keep looking
> and nothing is clicking in my head.



i found the easiest way to do it is via option 3 (water:lye). i like to do mine at 2:1, what this means is the water is twice the amount of lye, so let's say the recipe tells you 100 grams of lye, then the water would be 100 x 2 = 200 grams.

the minimum amount of water needed to properly dissolve lye is 100% of its weight, so 1:1. i personally would not go this low, except for making mp base, but that's another story. if you just start, i would recommend to go slightly higher than 2:1 to give you more time. perhaps 2.3:1 or up to 2.5:1.

so, if you opt for option 3 and type, for example 2:1, then the calc will automatically calculated the amount of water needed based on that particular option, which is twice the lye weight.

i don't really understand option 2, so i ain't gonna try to explain something i don't know. 

hth


----------



## ilovesoap2

Thank you seven.  I think I get it now.  
When you say "i would recommend to go slightly higher than 2:1 to give you more time." are you talking about the trace?
Sounds like less water means less time to reach trace
and also less time to be dry/cured?
Thanks for this.


----------



## seven

yer welcome. yes, more water means more time to "play" with the batter. this can benefit you if using a temperamental fo for example, or doing intricate swirls/lotsa colors.

also, temp matters too. soaping at higher temp can give you quicker trace, thus i like to soap rt (room temp).


----------



## ilovesoap2

Great! Thank you so much


----------



## Willow42

*Help please*

I am new to CP soapmaking and I am using a recipe from my suppliers website. I need to double the recipe but not sure how to work out how much lye I need.  I have looked at some lye calculators and I'm getting very confused as to how to work it out. This is the recipe below, can someone please help me with this. Thanks

 INGREDIENTS (excluding colour & fragrance)
12 oz (340g) of cold, clean water
125g of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) beads or pearls
1lb (454g) olive oil (preferably pomace grade but virgin or extra virgin will do)
10oz (284g) coconut oil (hard variety)
6oz (170g) palm oil (hard variety)
1/4 tsp vitamin E oil


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman

Willow42 said:


> I am new to CP soapmaking and I am using a recipe from my suppliers website. I need to double the recipe but not sure how to work out how much lye I need. I have looked at some lye calculators and I'm getting very confused as to how to work it out. This is the recipe below, can someone please help me with this. Thanks
> 
> INGREDIENTS (excluding colour & fragrance)
> 12 oz (340g) of cold, clean water
> 125g of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) beads or pearls
> 1lb (454g) olive oil (preferably pomace grade but virgin or extra virgin will do)
> 10oz (284g) coconut oil (hard variety)
> 6oz (170g) palm oil (hard variety)
> 1/4 tsp vitamin E oil


 
From the point of view of lye to oils, this is fine.  

Might be a bit too much coconut oil if you have sensitive or easily dry skin.  If so, make a post with some details and lots of hints will come up


----------



## Willow42

Thank you The Efficacious Gentleman, I wouldn't just double the lye though if I was doubling the recipe would I???


----------



## Saponista

If you want to double the recipe using exactly the same oils, then yes you would double the lye. You just double everything.


----------



## Willow42

Thank you Saponista


----------



## Saponista

I concur with efficacious gentleman that there's a bit much coconut oil in that recipe though. I would find it a bit harsh on my sensitive skin.


----------



## Saponista

I would add some castor oil to improve bubbles and creaminess and drop the %coconut down. Many other people will have hugely varying ideas of what makes a good bar of soap though. It's down to personal preference but I would have a play with some small batches using different ratios of oils until you get something you are happy with.


----------



## Willow42

So if I put some castor oil in would I reduce the amount of coconut oil by the same amount of castor oil I would put in?


----------



## Saponista

You need to use a lye calculator if you change the oils in the recipe. Each oil takes a different amount of lye to completely react with it. Have a go with soap calc. I know it looks daunting but it's really easy once you get the hang of it. In box 2 put the amount of oils you want in the recipe. If you want double the batch you made before just add up the oil weight, double it and put that number into the box. Leave box 3,4 and 5 as they are (you can learn how to use those afterwards) add the oils you are interested in in box six and play around with the percentage of those oils in your recipe. Click calculate which is number 7 and view or print recipe it will open you up a new box telling you all the things you need for your recipe. There will also be a box telling you different soap qualities and where your soap number falls within that range. Play around until you get the hardness creaminess etc, that you want. I would just print out a new recipe for you with castor but you will become so much more confident if you do it yourself.


----------



## Saponista

Post up your recipe and I'm sure lots of people including me will check you have your numbers right.


----------



## ExplodingPie

Is Trader Joes's virgin coconut oil 76 degrees or 92 degrees melt point?


----------



## FlybyStardancer

All virgin coconut oil is 76deg.


----------



## scottief

I have a quick question about the MMS Calculator. Im new to soap making and we made our 2nd batch last night. When using MMS the water about was 13-19 ounces. How do I know how much water to add when it tells me to use between the certain amounts.  

I was at a soap store yesterday and she printed me off a recipe with MMS and she told me to use the number 5 lye on the chart.  thanks


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman

scottief said:


> I have a quick question about the MMS Calculator. Im new to soap making and we made our 2nd batch last night. When using MMS the water about was 13-19 ounces. How do I know how much water to add when it tells me to use between the certain amounts.
> 
> I was at a soap store yesterday and she printed me off a recipe with MMS and she told me to use the number 5 lye on the chart. thanks


 
The water amount can vary depending on what you want to do.  It needs to be at least the same weight as the lye, but generally people use different amounts of water depending on the soap and the circumstances.  To start off with, go more towards the higher amount than the lower - it makes it easier to dissolve the lye in the water, for one thing!

As for the "5 on the chart" - I think you mean a 5% superfat.  That's pretty standard for many recipes, but there are often times that we would want to go above or below that


----------



## saffy

IanT said:


> I thought it would be helpful to everyone to put together a little guide to the soap calculators that were available online, as well as some relevant information.
> 
> I would like this to be an evolving thread because I realize that there are quite a few calculators available, and there are most likely some more to come with the new development of technology. My advice is to read as much as you can on each of these websites to gain an open perspective, and as much information as possible, as well as ask questions on the SMF.
> 
> For now, I have included the calculators I have found to be most popular within the forum. Feel free to post any questions you may have as well (we realize that these calculators can be quite confusing at first glance), so don't be shy!! The only stupid question is a question that is never asked!
> 
> Should you wish to add anything to this thread, please feel free to PM me and I would be happy to oblige!
> 
> Note: The calculations may vary from calculator to calculator.
> 
> First, I highly recommend that you read this introductory post by our lovely site admin (Thank you Mandy!):
> 
> Using a lye calculator
> 
> As well as read the info posted on this website about oil properties that may help with getting a general idea for the oils that you will use. Many of the calculator websites have similar listings:
> 
> http://www.soapnuts.com/indexoils.html
> 
> 
> *Soap/Lye Calculators:*
> 
> 
> 
> *1.) SoapCalc*
> 
> http://www.soapcalc.com/default.asp
> 
> *Description: *
> This site offers a wide range of possibilities, the user is able to enter ingredients as a weight or percent as well as adjust properties of the soap such as super fat/discount %. This site has loads of useful information, one link I found particularly useful when i was first starting out was the "what will I need" link, which gives the inexperienced soaper a concise list of supplies needed to start soaping with.
> 
> 
> *2.) 'Majestic Mountain Sage' lye calculator*
> 
> http://thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php
> 
> *Description: *
> In this calculator, users are able to input the amount of oils in percent of total oils, there are also clickable links leading to oil properties as well as suggested amounts of use in recipe's. This site also includes a table after the recipe is calculated that lets the user choose a super-fat percent to be used in the recipe.
> 
> 
> *3.) SoapMaker*
> 
> http://www.soapmaker.ca
> 
> *Description:*
> 
> Note: this is a free trial, users must purchase the full program after trial period expires.
> 
> "Create your own recipes, selecting from more than 50 types of base oils. Include your additives too. SoapMaker calculates lye and water, as well as the cost per bar using your ingredient costs. Experiment with recipes and see how they'll turn out before you make the soap... SoapMaker's unique recipe qualities graph shows you the predicted hardness, lather and moisturizing qualities. Compare different recipes and see the results of changes instantly using the dynamic graph feature .Store all your recipes and organize them by category, type, date and cost With SoapMaker Professional, manage your stock of ingredients and products made... your inventory adjusts automatically whenever you "make a batch" (quoted from soapmaker website"
> 
> 
> *4.)  Maple Springs* (added by Paul)
> 
> http://www.maplesprings.com/soapcalc.html
> 
> * Description: *
> 
> "To use the Maple Springs Farm soap lye calculator... simply enter in number of ounces per oil and the amount of lye, water, fragrance, and pigments will be automatically calculated for you...The Calculator is for Sodium Hydroxide = NAOH " This site is quite useful, it gives feedback regarding the size of the recipe as well as how many ounces of essential oils, and oxide/pigments are recommended for the given recipe size. This is quite a valuable tool to if you input recipes that have already been formulated to determine the right coloring amounts and essential oils, or formulate your own!


Last time I looked, which was a while ago admittedly, these lye calculator sites failed to provide any source references for their SAP values. When I contacted them replies were generally along the line of 'based on historic values' but still no actual references. One site did suggest a recently published book which apparently gives sources.

In the end I used the SAP values stated in the Codex Alimentarius (a formal document of international food standards started in 1964 by the FAO and WHO) and set up my own spreadsheet to calculate NaOH required for my recipes.


----------



## seven

saffy said:


> In the end I used the SAP values stated in the Codex Alimentarius (a formal document of international food standards started in 1964 by the FAO and WHO) and set up my own spreadsheet to calculate NaOH required for my recipes.



do you have a link to it? i am curious to see, and so far i can only find the sap for KOH, and not NaOH (in the Codex).


----------



## saffy

*SAPs and converting from KOH to NaOH*

Seems most SAPs are worked out for KOH so you need to convert to NaOH.

Work out your KOH SAP based on your oil proportions.

Then determine NaOH needed by multiplying your KOH SAP by 39.997/56.106 (or 40/56) which comes from:


Sodium hydroxide, Molar mass = 39.997 g/mollPotassium hydroxide, Molar mass = 56.1056 g/mol

The Codex Al. gives a SAP range - I took the top of the range for each oil which is higher than values returned by the online calculators I have tried. Mine have all worked fine - I have tested batches with an industrial quality certified pH probe (the pH strips are not appropriate for soaps) and all pHs fine - they compare well to commercial bar soap which I also pH tested out of interest.

I also spent a headbreaking couple of hours working out theoretical stoichiometrical SAP values based on the Codex Al. fatty acid profiles for each oil - and was amazed that they compared well with the practical determinations which in most cases were done a long time ago. My previous life as an analytical chemist helps no end!

According to a very helful gentleman at the [FONT=verdana,geneva]The Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations (FOSFA) - SAP testing is a thing of the past and most quoted values will be somewhat dated - which raises the question of the relevance of these SAP values today given the modernisation of farming, processing and storage methods and subsequent potential for changes in the fatty acid profiles of the oils we use?
[/FONT]


----------



## Punkin2x74

I like to use soapee.com you can save, edit, share its really nice.


----------



## notapantsday

I'm using soapee as well. It's has pretty much the same functionality as soapcalc but a more modern layout that I find to be much more clearly arranged.


----------



## Susie

I converted from SoapCalc and Summerbeemeadow to Soapee.  It truly is just so user friendly, and saves my recipes!


----------



## Punkin2x74

Susie I know!!! It's awesome.  I like how you can also save a copy of a current recipe if you want to reduce or enlarge your recipe.


----------



## slipknott76

How do you get it? Is it a app?


----------



## Arimara

I have a habit of using soapcalc more than soapee. I like them both all the same but I find soapee to be a little more work in some aspects. Don't know why.


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman

slipknott76 said:


> How do you get it? Is it a app?




Soapee? No, online only


----------



## Susie

The soapee.com page is just less crowded, and a lot less intimidating to someone just learning how to use a lye calculator.  I LOVE the fact that it can save recipes, though!


----------



## TwoHippies

Well, I would actually like to throw my Soap Calculator into the mix. It's currently BETA, but the calculator functions and has all the common oils. All I need to do is update the Donut Chart to give a live reading of soap properties, the print style sheet and fix the soap presets (though this will only set values for you, anyway). I'll have this done in a few days.

However, I think I'm in the running for the "modern, easy to use design". Everything is available on one page, yet *much* less cluttered.

http://www.sapo.space


----------



## reinbeau

TwoHippies said:


> Well, I would actually like to throw my Soap Calculator into the mix. It's currently BETA, but the calculator functions and has all the common oils. All I need to do is update the Donut Chart to give a live reading of soap properties, the print style sheet and fix the soap presets (though this will only set values for you, anyway). I'll have this done in a few days.
> 
> However, I think I'm in the running for the "modern, easy to use design". Everything is available on one page, yet *much* less cluttered.
> 
> http://www.sapo.space


How about lye concentration, or water as a percentage of the lye?


----------



## TwoHippies

reinbeau said:


> How about lye concentration, or water as a percentage of the lye?



I have lye concentration implemented (click on the Water Calculation button), but water as percent of lye? The ratio covers that, just used differently; 1.25:1 would be 125%. 

Edit: It's blocking the double value in the ratio atm, not sure why right this second..have to take my son to a birthday party and will fix it when I get home


----------



## riki63

earthmother99 said:


> kk I'm really confused I have managed to get my oils in where i want them to be but im having problems with the lye and water part not sure what I am doing wrong other then puter doesnt seem to like that site. Any way I cant seem to figure out how much water and lye i need to use. Am I not clicking or entering something that I should????? Thanks Di



When you click "print/view" recipe, you will see the lye and water amounts.


----------



## Summi

Hi! The lye that I am ordering is 98.5% pure. Will it do? IF so what changes should I make to the recipes since most assume 100% pure lye? I use SoapCalc.


----------



## Cassi

In Soapee....is it me or does the logins with FB and G+ do not work?

thanks


----------



## Punkin2x74

Oppss was having issues with phone.


----------



## Punkin2x74

Stupid phone.


----------



## Punkin2x74

Cassi I believe you have to create your own login.  I don't remember the option of login with FB or G+

Edit: I went back and I guess I never saw that you could.  I don't know how to fix that one.  Sorry.


----------



## jod58

Silly question fir someone new!   If a recipe is 40 % 25 % 25% and 10%
How do you make that ounces??


----------



## reinbeau

jod58 said:


> Silly question fir someone new!   If a recipe is 40 % 25 % 25% and 10%
> How do you make that ounces??


How large do you want your batch?  If you are making a recipe with 48 ounces of oils, it would be 40% of 48 ounces, 25% of 48 ounces, etc.


----------



## Susie

jod58 said:


> Silly question fir someone new!   If a recipe is 40 % 25 % 25% and 10%
> How do you make that ounces??



You run it through a lye calculator like Soapee.com. Then tell it whether you want ounces or grams, and how large a batch you want.


----------



## jod58

Ty for your help!  I'll keep going till I get it


----------



## Goldenmomswfl

*Solid oil weight verses liquid weight.*

Hi fellow soapers,
    Using my scale, setting at 0 to subtract weight for the container, I weighed out kokum butter, tallow and coconut oil. My total weight is 39.4 oz. After melting the weight is now 53.3- 
 8.5 for my container which is now a total of 44.8. I assume solid weighs more than liquid. Are the weights on soap calc for liquid weights?


----------



## Steve85569

Mass is mass. We weigh instead of measure.


----------



## DeeAnna

Nope -- solids don't weigh more than liquids. Could you be confusing fluid ounces which is a measurement of volume with the use of weight ounces (called plain "ounces" compared to "fluid ounces")? They're not the same thing if you are measuring anything but water.

Any respectable soap recipe will call for ingredients in units of weight, not volume. A gram (or ounce) of fat is the same as a gram (or ounce) of water is the same as a gram (or ounce) of NaOH. SoapCalc calls for measuring everything by weight, so get out your scale! 

If you see a recipe using cups (or fluid ounces) to measure water, fat, or NaOH, that's not a good recipe to use -- ask here for sensible help and better recipes!

edit:

Science trivia:

Weight and volume are both measurements. Weight is not strictly a direct measurement of mass, however. It's a measurement of how strongly an object is attracted by the gravitational pull of our earth, but mass doesn't depend on the earth's gravity.

For everyday purposes and everyday people, weight and mass are essentially the same, but they are distinctly different properties to scientist types.

On the earth, objects have weight (which will actually vary a tiny bit depending on where you are on the earth) and they also have mass (which won't change regardless of where you are).  In deep space, far, far away from things that have gravitational pull, objects will have no weight but they do have mass.


----------



## dibbles

Steve and DeeAnna, OP said she used a scale, or am I missing something here?

Goldenmom, your solid oils should weigh the same when they are melted. Did you possibly err when you were originally weighing them? If you are positive you weighed correctly, then is there a spatula or something in the bowl from stirring that you aren't considering (been there, it's why I'm mentioning it). You can always pour your melted oils into another container (set on the scale with the scale tared to 0). At the worst, you just have an extra bowl to clean.


----------



## Susie

I am voting that they need new batteries in their scale, or a new scale.


----------



## Goldenmomswfl

Thanks everyone for your help. 
I've always used soap calc, with my digital scale, weigh my solid oils first, melt those then add the remaining oils. This is the first time I used tallow and Kokum butter, to solid oils, which is why I went to brain freeze when I saw the big difference in the melted weight. 
I ended up turning my scale off and started over with an empty container. I added the oils to the container adjusting the scale to zero. The scale displayed the recipe's correct total weight. I suspect I need a new battery or I bumped something. 
Thanks everyone!


----------



## DeeAnna

Don't click on the link in the previous post by Sammay. Every one of this person's posts has a disguised URL and that tactic sure looks like spam to me. I've reported it.


----------



## Jenn

To start i should say om very new to cold process soap. After a year of playing with melt and pours and never liking the soap i figured it was time to make them from scratch. I have very sensitive skin and have only ever used dove. I found a recipe i enjoy howvere friends and family say its not quite what they like. I really want to start creating my own recipes but im having issues understanding how to go about it. I typically use the brambleberry calculator because its so simple. It confirms my measurements for lye/ water ect. I want to make a dove like soap that is natural gentle moisturizing and bubbly. The biggest complaint i get is it lather well but is drying or it doesnt lather enough. Im trying to stay palm free and vegan. My question is how do i create my own recipe? The calculator that is most helpful seems to be soapcalc.net but it doesnt tell me how much water and lye to use. I feel like im missing a piece of the puzzle, hopefully someone can help thanks


----------



## Steve85569

Jenn,
Soap is cleansing. Look for a recipe / combination of oils that will have good  midrange "bubbly" and "creamy" numbers but a low cleansing number. I typically make and use soap that has a cleansing number below the recommended range. ( I'm old and have sensitive skin.)
Soapcalc does allow you to change the water content but then you need to go to the bottom of the page #7 and "calculate recipe" then click on "view or print recipe". That will show you the weights of the hydroxide and water you are using. You can also use either KOH or sodium hydroxide as your agent . That is changed at the top left #1 entry spot ( check the box).

You may want to start a new thread for a better  in depth discussion of what you are wanting.
There are lots of much more qualified soap makers here that can help you better than I can.

Steve


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## earlene

error - for some reason my post went to the wrong thread

No, it didn't.

Welcome, *Jenn*.  I like the soapee lye calculator the most, but I have used the others you mentioned and others in addition to that, as well.  Actually SoapCalc does tell you how much lye and water to use, but you have to go to the second page to see the result, and maybe that's why you're not seeing it.

Soapee works on-the-fly and makes changes to the results as you make changes to the recipe, which is one of the reasons I like it so much.  But they all have their good qualities.  It's really a matter of personal choice.

As for making your own recipe, it's a matter of practice and doing as much research as you are comfortable with, using either soapmaking books or other methods of research.  I started with soapmaking books I borrowed from my library and its agreement with other libraries in the state.  I tried some recipes I found in books and online, using non-animal fats (vegetarian) and eventually started designing my own based on what I learned.  It can take a little time this way, but it's fun.

I suggest making small batches of no more than 500 grams total batch size so that you can practice the process and so you don't waste a lot of materials if you end up not liking the soap.  Make sure to allow for at least a 4-8 week cure for any soap you make before you make a decision if you really like it or not.  However some soaps need an even longer cure to be at their best.  Pure (100%) olive oil soap is one such soap that benefits from a very long cure (a year or more - for me I like it at 18 months or longer).  Some soap is great at shorter cures.  It depends a lot on the make-up of the fatty acids in the oils.

Read through the beginners section, especially the Sticky Posts, and the Lye Section Sticky Posts for more information to help you find resources to get you started on this journey.  Also, when perusing youtube soapmaking videos, beware that although there are MANY really good ones, there are also MANY not-so-good ones on youtube.  So just keep in mind that anyone can do or say anything and post just about anything they want on youtube (or facebook or just about anywhere) and you can't always be sure it's genuinely reliable what they are doing or saying.  So I recommend following safety suggestions you find here at SMF when making soap.  If you are unsure, ask and we will gladly give you well-though-out feedback on what works and what might not work so well. 

Some good soapmaking resourses are all over this forum, so I won't even attempt to list them here.  But here's a couple to start with: 
http://soapee.com/calculator
https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/the-most-popular-fatty-acid-profiles-in-soapmaking/
https://classicbells.com/soap/soapyStuff.html


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## Jaymy

I'm an old member returning as I'm about to start soap making again and soapcalc seems to be down. Anyone else having issues with it?


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## Steve85569

Jaymy said:


> I'm an old member returning as I'm about to start soap making again and soapcalc seems to be down. Anyone else having issues with it?


It isn't loading for me right now either.


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## Jaymy

I can't find anything anywhere to say it's been taken down so hopefully just a temporary server issue.


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## Steve85569

Send me a pm and I'll share my spreadsheets.

There's also the soapmaking friend version that is being test on the forum now...
https://www.soapmakingfriend.com/soap-making-recipe-builder-lye-calculator/


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## DeeAnna

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/soap-calc.72100/


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## Sharon Patterson

MsBrenda said:


> Does anyone know if there is a soap calc designed for HP soap making?
> 
> So far all the calcs seem to be for CP for the lye/water ratoi.
> 
> I usually take the lye amount recommended and round it off to the nearest .50. Take that number x 4 and that will be my water amount to mix the lye.
> 
> The soap takes a couple weeks to dry but at least it's workable to swirl and fill fancy molds.  I haven't had any problems so far with smaller batches. 3 to 6 pounds.


I use soap calc for my HP recipes.  I use it as is and don't alter it at all and have not had any problem with it.


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## Susie

I am going to second/third/whatever Soapee.com for my most user friendly soap calculator.  I like the way I can make changes on the fly and see them in action.  I also like the printout (I only print page 1) for saving for re-use.  Quite easy to use.  I keep mine (now that I have some hard and fast recipes I keep re-using) in those plastic sheet protectors, and use a dry erase marker to check off what I have added.  Then just wipe when done.


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## Jill B Blasius

So, I am making a small batch recipe in Soapcal, BB and SMF for my 1#-4x4 mold, and I am getting all slightly different numbers, using the same water:lye/SF/ounces of oils. Soapcal and SMF have the closest numbers (using 2:1), but BB has way more water:lye than the other 2.

Is that normal?


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## DeeAnna

Yes it's normal. Different calculators make different assumptions about the defaults for superfat, water, and alkali purity. They use slightly different data sets for the fat saponification values. They're all reasonably accurate as far as the math that they do.

I've not spent any time figuring out why the BB calc is different, so I can't address your comment about that calc. The last time I looked at it, I thought this calc was overly simplified, so perhaps there's a setting that this calc hides from the user that you'd need to tweak. I suppose they did that to appeal to the very newest of new soap makers.

Anyway, I recommend you pick a calc and stick with it -- there is no benefit from comparing various calcs except to see which one you like to use the best. Soapee is another calc to look at, if you haven't given it a test drive.


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## Clarice

Hi quick Q - I was just playing around on "soapee" calculator and then came back to this thread to try to better understand the characteristic:  Cleansing

In this recipe experiment I got the result of 27 - above the range recommended.  Does this mean it will NOT fare well in hard water? 

I am not necessarily going to make this - I am trying to better understand characteristics.

Also - does every calculator define the properties terms in the same way?  

Thank you!  Clarice


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## Susie

This is an article DeeAnna (absolutely our favorite soap scientist person) wrote about the "numbers" on SoapCalc, which is exactly what Soapee uses also.  Take a tour of her website, loads of info on soapmaking.

https://classicbells.com/soap/soapCalcNumbers.html


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## Clarice

thank you so much!!!!


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## Steve85569

The high cleansing number means the soap will remove lots of oil(s) from your skin.
The low longevity number means it won't last long and tend to be very soluable.


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## Lankan

I'm trying to use the soap calculator to resize the recipe to fit to my molds values, which has a total volume of 2390ml (25*7.5*6.5)+(20*6.5*7.5)+(22/7*6.6*9.4).

However when I fed this detail to the soap calculator it is indicating a mold capacity of 1661 grams. according to the calculator the molds to be filled with a oils of 1168grams and rest being the lye water, 50grams of glycerin and 5gram of salt.

I'm certain that my molds can not be filled with the soap made from above amounts of ingredients. because of this confusion I've postponed my planned soaping session for the weekend. Appreciate if anyone can clarify me on this.


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## maria costi

i like soap calc , but there is no calendula oil listed there


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## DeeAnna

There is no "calendula oil" meaning oil harvested from the calendula plant. Calendula oil is an infusion of the flowers in a base oil.  Look at the ingredients list on the container for the base oil -- it might be soy, sunflower, olive, etc. -- and use that in your recipe calculations.


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## maria costi

DeeAnna said:


> There is no "calendula oil" meaning oil harvested from the calendula plant. Calendula oil is an infusion of the flowers in a base oil.  Look at the ingredients list on the container for the base oil -- it might be soy, sunflower, olive, etc. -- and use that in your recipe calculations.


my bottle says organic calendula infused oil, thats all that is written.... i have bought it from aussie soap supplies,
UPDATE .....upon going on website on additional  information , it has been infused with sunflower oil ,which should be stated on bottle and it isnt...
as a newbie DeeAnna , do i just put sunflower oil in soap calc when using calendula?


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## atiz

maria costi said:


> my bottle says organic calendula infused oil, thats all that is written.... i have bought it from aussie soap supplies,
> UPDATE .....upon going on website on additional  information , it has been infused with sunflower oil ,which should be stated on bottle and it isnt...
> as a newbie DeeAnna , do i just put sunflower oil in soap calc when using calendula?


Not DeeAnna, but yes, you would put sunflower oil in the calc -- the same as if you had made a home-made infusion (basically a "tea", except the base is oil instead of water)


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## DeeAnna

Yes, @atiz is giving you good advice.


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## maria costi

Thank you


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## Brokinkiy

The amounts on lye calculators are for weight. Always weigh the ingredients because it's more accurate.


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## Kelly Frizzell

Sorry, I have been away for a bit and ... did I miss something? What happened to Soapmaking Friend -Wasn't that the name a soap calculator developed for this group? Is it no longer an option to use as a Soap Calculator?


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## Curtis

https://www.soapmakingfriend.com/soap-making-recipe-builder-lye-calculator/

Works for me...that's what I use.


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## marehare

Deda said:


> I use Soapmaker, you can add any oil you want as long as you know the SAP value and the profile for the fatty acids.


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