E-Juice Nicotine Levels Explained Part 1: How Much Nicotine Should I Add to my Vape Juice?

E-Juice Nicotine Levels Explained Part 1: How Much Nicotine Should I Add to my Vape Juice?

Alison Brown8 comments

What nicotine strength should I use?

Not sure which nicotine strength you should be using? See part 2 of this guide: Choosing Your Nicotine Strength: nicotine levels in your e-liquid.

 

It is important to ensure you mix the right amount of nicotine into you e-liquid before you vape. Whether you are adding nicotine to shortfills, or making your own e-juice from scratch, you need to know how much nicotine liquid to add to your nicotine-free base liquid.

This guide provides all the information you will need to safely work out how to get the right nicotine in your finished vape liquid.

Terminology

Nic shots

In Britain and the EU, the size and strength of nicotine liquids you can buy is restricted. Nicotine is most commonly sold in 10ml bottles at 18mg strength. These 10ml bottles are commonly referred to as ‘nicotine shots’ or ‘nic shots’. Because most people aim to vape a 3mg, 6mg or 12mg liquid, an 18mg nicotine-strength makes the calculations easy, as you’ll see below.

What do nicotine levels mean?

The amount of nicotine in an e-liquid is usually written as a number of mg. The most common in the UK are 3mg, 6mg, 12mg and 18mg - this makes it really easy to calculate how much nicotine to add.

What often confuses people is the fact that this not the total number of mg in the bottle but the number of mg (milligrams) of nicotine in each ml (millilitre) of liquid.

It can sometimes be seen written as mg/ml (e.g. 3mg/ml).

If the bottle is bigger, the nicotine strength of the liquid remains the same, only you have a larger quantity of it.

Sometimes the nicotine strength is expressed as a percentage (although this is getting less common). This tells you what percentage of the liquid is nicotine.

Instead of 3mg, you will see 0.3%

Instead of 6mg, you will see 0.6%

Instead of 12mg, you will see 1.2%

The nicotine is in a solution of PG and/or VG.

What does 3mg nicotine mean?

This refers to the strength of the liquid.

3mg actually means 3mg of nicotine per ml of liquid.

In a 10ml bottle, there are 10mls of liquid, each with 3mg of nicotine in. So in a 10ml bottle there are 3mg x 10ml = 30mg of nicotine in total.

(mg x ml = total nicotine in the bottle)

What does 6mg nicotine mean?

This refers to the strength of the liquid.

6mg actually means 6mg of nicotine per ml of liquid.

In a 10ml bottle, there are 10mls of liquid, each with 6mg of nicotine in. So in a 10ml bottle there are 6mg x 10ml = 60mg of nicotine in total.

Shortfills

What is a shortfill?

Shortfills are nicotine-free e-liquids sold in a bottle that is “short-filled” to give you enough space to add your own nicotine liquid. This is to give you the choice about your nicotine consumption.

Commonly, shortfills contain 50ml of base liquid and are designed to make a 3mg e-liquid.

 

How do shortfills work?

Shortfills are designed to be easy to use. They contain a ready-made base liquid of PG, VG and the flavouring of your choice. All you need to do is add the nicotine, if you want any. Most shortfills are designed so that when you add nicotine, you end up with 3mg strength e-liquid.

50ml shortfill + 10ml nic shot = 60ml of 3mg e-liquid.

100ml shortfil + 2 x 10ml nic shots = 120ml of 3mg e-liquid.

To make higher nicotine strengths, see below.

 

How much nicotine do I need to add to make 3mg e-liquid?

To make a 3mg e-liquid, mix 1 part nicotine to 5 parts flavoured base (your PG, VG and flavour concentrates).

That means you divide the volume of the nicotine-free base liquid by 5, then add that much of the 18mg nicotine liquid. For each 50ml of nicotine-free e-liquid, you add 1 nic shot.

To make 100ml into 3mg strength liquid

100ml base + 20ml nicotine = 120ml of 3mg e-liquid

To make 50ml into 3mg strength liquid

50ml base + 10ml nicotine = 60ml of 3mg e-liquid

To make 10ml into 3mg strength liquid

10ml base + 2ml nicotine = 12ml of 3mg e-liquid 

 

How much nicotine do I need to add to make 6mg e-liquid?

To make a 6mg e-liquid, mix 1 part nicotine to 2 parts flavoured base (your PG, VG and flavour concentrates).

That means you divide the volume of the nicotine-free base liquid by 2, then add that much of the 18mg nicotine liquid. You add 2 nic shots to every 40ml of nicotine-free e-liquid.

To make 80ml into 6mg strength liquid

80ml base + 40ml nicotine = 120ml of 6mg e-liquid

To make 40ml into 6mg strength liquid

40ml base + 20ml nicotine = 60ml of 6mg e-liquid

To make 8ml into 6mg strength liquid

8ml base + 4ml nicotine = 12ml of 6ml e-liquid

 

Once you know how strong you want your e-liquid, you need to calculate how much nicotine liquid to put into the shortfill to make that happen.

Either:

  • Look above at the ready-made calculations for 3mg and 6mg e-liquids
  • Use the e-liquid calculator below to work out how much 18mg nicotine to add to your base amount

 

E-Liquid Nicotine Calculators

If you are making your juice from scratch, click here for our e-liquid calculator.

If you have non-nicotine e-liquid or shortfill and would like to know how much 18mg nicotine liquid to add to achieve a required strength, click here.

Quick Reference Tables

How much nicotine to make 3mg liquid
Amount of nicotine free base liquid Amount of 18mg nicotine liquid to add Total amount of liquid at 3mg strength
makemyvape.co.uk
100ml 20ml 120ml
50ml 10ml 60ml
10ml 2ml 12ml

 

How much nicotine to make 6mg liquid
Amount of nicotine free base liquid Amount of 18mg nicotine liquid to add Total amount of liquid at 6mg strength
makemyvape.co.uk
80ml 40ml 120ml
40ml 20ml 60ml
8ml 4ml 12ml

 

 Quick Shortfill Nicotine Calculator

Comments (8)

Mark

Hi Jeffrey,
If you could please email support@makemyvape.co.uk and we can try and help you further (as it is more specific information you’re looking for).
Thanks,
Make My Vape

jeffrey wang

Hi

I am new to vaping. I usually smoke light cigarettes which are 5mg, I smoke about 10 cigarettes a day. I just bought 200ml of 100mg PG nicotine and want to mix into my 60ml E-Juice, PG/VG 70/30. How many ml of nicotine do you recommend to put in my E-Juice?

Make My Vape

Hi there

If you email us at support@makemyvape.co.uk we will be able to offer you some assistance with your issue.

Kind Regards

Make My Vape

garry powell

hi,just started mixing my own liquid but having problems getting a “throat hit” any info on this thanks.

Emma Hardcastle

Hi Arthur, I’ve found shorty nic salts do a 10ml 36mg. You would only need 4 to make 100ml at 12mg. Hope this helps!

Warwick Tutt

I’m afraid that is correct vape if isn’t designed to be cheaper or even as affordable as smoking (unfortunately) evrr eggn I was surprised to find that out but there’s a great place I know to get cheap 250ml no mic bottles of liquid and eBay so for is a good place for nic shots if you don’t want to mix everything at once getting e liquid bottles and working on a day 50ml mix per bottle you be adding 5 10ml 18mg bottles making 100ml so if you look at it I different way and fine the right places to get the stuff from you end up doubling the juice hope that helps

NIa hOwells

So if I’ve got a 100ml bottle of nic free juice, I need 800ml of 18 nicotine to get to a 16mg? That’s a litre of e-liquid😳🤯

Arthur Graham

Hi,
A slight problem here for me, I smoke up to 15 cigs a day, I’m new to mixing my own vape in fact fairly new to vaping, but what I’ve been dragging on for 6 month now is 12mg or 1.2 nicotine ready mixed, and so I thought it would be great to mix my own, this is where I’m stuck…I’ve already got 100 ml of nicotine free juice to go but when I use the calculator it’s saying that I would need 50 ml of 18mg nic shot to make 0.6 strength, 5 bottles!!!! is that correct ? that’s half the strength that I’m already vaping…I need a fag..help Please..Ag

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