Convert between grams and millilitres for soap, candle, and cosmetics ingredients — pre-loaded with densities for 30+ common materials.
How to Convert Grams to mL (Quick Answer)
Divide the mass in grams by the ingredient's density in g/mL: mL = grams ÷ density. For water (1.00 g/mL) the numbers are the same. For olive oil (0.91 g/mL), 100 g ≈ 110 mL. To go the other way: grams = mL × density. Select your ingredient below and the converter does the arithmetic for you.
Track your ingredient quantities automatically. Craftybase records exact weights for every batch so your recipes stay accurate and your costs stay real.
Unlike converting between, say, centimetres and inches, you can't convert grams to millilitres with a fixed number. Grams measure mass; millilitres measure volume. To go from one to the other, you need to know the density of the substance — how much mass is packed into each unit of volume.
The formula is straightforward:
Grams → mL: mL = grams ÷ density (g/mL)
mL → Grams: grams = mL × density (g/mL)
Water has a density of 1.00 g/mL, so for water the numbers are the same. But olive oil sits at 0.91 g/mL — meaning 100 g of olive oil occupies about 110 mL. And sodium hydroxide (lye) is 2.13 g/mL, so 100 g takes up less than 47 mL. That difference matters a lot when you're scaling a recipe.
Why Makers Need This Converter
Most maker recipes are written in grams — kitchen scales are standard in soap making, candle making, and cosmetics formulation because grams are precise and repeatable. But many suppliers sell liquids by volume (mL or fl oz), and some equipment (graduated cylinders, jugs) reads in mL. Switching between the two without accounting for density leads to formulation errors and wasted materials.
Tired of converting units by hand every batch?Craftybase stores your recipes with exact ingredient weights and automatically recalculates quantities when you scale up or down. No more density lookups, no more conversion errors.
Say your lotion recipe calls for 50 mL of argan oil, but your scale only measures grams. Argan oil has a density of 0.91 g/mL:
50 mL × 0.91 g/mL = 45.5 g
Select "Argan Oil" in the dropdown, enter 50 in the mL-to-grams direction, and the converter does the arithmetic for you.
About the Ingredient Densities
The densities used in this converter are standard literature values for each ingredient in its typical working state (e.g., oils at room temperature, waxes fully melted). Temperature affects density, so treat results as a close working approximation — particularly for waxes measured near their melt point. If your supplier provides a specific gravity on their spec sheet, use that value for maximum accuracy.
Common Ingredient Densities at a Glance
These are the densities used in the converter above. All values are in g/mL at typical working temperatures.
Ingredient
Density (g/mL)
100 g =
Category
Olive Oil
0.91
109.9 mL
Soap Making
Coconut Oil (melted)
0.92
108.7 mL
Soap Making
Castor Oil
0.96
104.2 mL
Soap Making
Sodium Hydroxide (lye)
2.13
46.9 mL
Soap Making
Soy Wax (melted)
0.90
111.1 mL
Candle Making
Beeswax (melted)
0.95
105.3 mL
Candle Making
Fragrance Oil
0.98
102.0 mL
Candle Making
Distilled Water
1.00
100.0 mL
Cosmetics
Glycerin
1.26
79.4 mL
Soap / Cosmetics
Kaolin Clay
2.60
38.5 mL
Cosmetics
All 30+ ingredients are available in the converter dropdown above. Densities represent typical working conditions (oils at room temperature, waxes fully melted).
Who Should Use This Converter?
This tool is built for any maker who works with ingredients measured by weight and volume. Specifically:
Soap makers scaling cold-process recipes where oils are listed in grams but your measuring jug reads in mL — or vice versa.
Candle makers converting fragrance oil quantities between weight and volume when suppliers list different units.
Cosmetics formulators working with lotions, serums, and balms where INCI listings require percentages by weight but lab equipment measures volume.
Bath bomb and bath product makers converting between powdered ingredients (measured by weight) and liquid additives (measured by volume).
Anyone following maker tutorials that list measurements in a unit different from what your scales or measuring equipment use.
If you want to track all your ingredient conversions, recipe costs, and batch quantities in one place, Craftybase handles it automatically across your entire product line.
FAQs
To convert grams to mL, divide the mass in grams by the density of the ingredient in g/mL: mL = grams ÷ density. For water (density 1.00 g/mL), 100 g equals exactly 100 mL. For olive oil (density 0.91 g/mL), 100 g equals approximately 109.9 mL. The converter above handles this calculation automatically for over 30 common maker ingredients.
Grams measure mass; millilitres measure volume. Different substances have different densities — a gram of castor oil takes up more space than a gram of kaolin clay. The only time a 1:1 conversion works is for pure water at room temperature. For everything else, you need the ingredient's specific density. Using a single conversion factor for maker ingredients can easily introduce 10–20% errors into a recipe.
Check your supplier's spec sheet or Safety Data Sheet (SDS) — it will usually list specific gravity or density. If the spec sheet gives a specific gravity relative to water, that value is numerically the same as density in g/mL (since water = 1.00 g/mL). For a close approximation, select the ingredient in the list that is most chemically similar to yours. Most light carrier oils cluster between 0.90 and 0.93 g/mL.
Yes. Density decreases slightly as temperature rises, because substances expand when heated. The values in this converter represent typical working temperatures — oils at around 20–25 °C, and waxes at their fully melted state. For most soap, candle, and cosmetics work the difference is small enough to be within acceptable recipe tolerance, but if you are measuring a wax at a temperature very different from its listed melt point you may notice a small variance.
One US fluid ounce equals 29.5735 mL, so to convert mL to fl oz you divide by 29.5735. This converter shows the fl oz equivalent automatically in the second result card so you don't have to do the arithmetic yourself. This is handy when your recipe uses mL but your finished product labels need to show fl oz for US customers.
Yes — completely free, no signup required. This converter is provided by Craftybase, inventory and manufacturing software built specifically for small-batch makers. Use it as many times as you need.
The most common soap-making oils cluster between 0.86 and 0.96 g/mL: olive oil (0.91), coconut oil melted (0.92), castor oil (0.96), sweet almond oil (0.91), jojoba oil (0.86), avocado oil (0.91), and shea butter melted (0.90). Sodium hydroxide (lye) is much denser at 2.13 g/mL. All of these are pre-loaded in the ingredient dropdown above.
Stop re-doing the same calculations every batch
Craftybase stores your recipes with exact ingredient weights and automatically recalculates quantities when you scale a batch. No more unit-conversion errors, no more guesswork — just accurate costs and consistent products every time.
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