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Guide topic

Cold-Process Soap

Plain-English, source-cited guides to cold-process soap chemistry.

Guide Soap lye calculator (NaOH & KOH) Add your oils by weight for the exact NaOH or KOH grams, water, and superfat discount — free, 32 oils, cited SAP values. Read guide → Guide Lye calculator basics: SAP values Saponification values, why every oil needs a different amount of NaOH, and how superfat changes the number. Read guide → Guide Superfat and water, explained What superfat (lye discount) and water amount actually do — the three ways to express water, and how each affects your bar. Read guide → Buying guide The best soap making supplies (2026) lye, base oils, molds, and the scale that keeps a batch on-recipe. Read guide →
The app for this
Trace: Soap & Lye Calculator
A cold-process soap calculator with cited chemistry: SAP-based lye and water for any oil blend, superfat, quality bounds and fragrance caps that name their source, plus a multi-batch cure tracker. No subscription, no ads, no scanner, works offline.
Get Trace on the App Store
Oils for soap

Every oil: SAP value & soap properties

The lye each oil needs and what it does in the bar — pick an oil.

Base oils

Butters

Specialty & liquid oils

Waxes