Whether you’re new to the world of vaping, or you’ve been vaping for a while - there’s a lot to learn. Because of this there are bound to be some terms and phrases that you either haven’t heard of, or don’t understand - don’t worry though - I’ve written a series of guides to help you get to grips with the terminology, and technology that you might encounter. In this guide I’ll be discussing shortfill vape juices, including what they are, what they’re used for, and how to mix them.
What Are Shortfill E-Liquids?
The term ‘shortfill e-liquids’ refers to a type of e-liquid that is larger than 10ml with space for the user to add nicotine shots if they wish to. The majority of shortfill e-liquids come in 60ml or 120ml bottles but will contain 50ml or 100ml of e-liquid. However, there are a wide variety of sizes available, with 30ml and 80ml also being popular sizes. However, you don’t need to add nicotine to this vape juice if you prefer nicotine free e-liquids - the only difference will be that there’s no nicotine, and there will be slightly less e-liquid overall too.
How do you use shortfills
Using shortfills is quite straightforward, as you can use them the same way as any other vape juice. If the shortfill is a high VG e-liquid, it’s compatible with any powerful vape kit with a maximum power output greater than 40W, such as sub-ohm vape kits and direct to lung devices. 50/50 shortfill vape juices, however, are better suited to use in vape kits with a lower power output of approximately 35W or less, which makes them ideal for mouth to lung vape kits.
To actually use the shortfills all you need to do is:
- Add your nicotine shots (if you wish to vape nicotine e-liquid)
- Give the bottle a good shake to make sure the nicotine and e-liquid are mixed
- Squeeze the e-liquid into your tank or pod, ready to be vaped!
If you’re not sure how much nicotine you might need to make your vape juice up to the right strength, don’t worry, keep scrolling to discover our table where we explain exactly how much nicotine you’ll need!
How to Mix a Shortfill E Liquid
If you’d like to add nicotine to your shortfill e-liquid, you can. By adding nicotine shots to your shortfill vape juice you can achieve a variety of nicotine strengths, although the most common nicotine strength in these e-liquids is 3mg. Due to this the majority of e-liquid brands leave enough space in the bottle for you to add enough nicotine to make a 3mg strength liquid. However, the amount of nicotine shots you would need to add can vary depending on the strength of the nic shot, and the size of the e-liquid. See below for a table on how many nicotine shots you would need for the various nicotine strengths.
Bottle Size (ml) |
Strength of Nicotine Shots |
Number of 10ml Nicotine Shots |
Desired E-Liquid Strength |
|
60ml |
18mg |
½ |
1.5mg |
|
60ml |
18mg |
1 |
3mg |
|
60ml |
18mg |
2 |
6mg |
|
120ml |
18mg |
1 |
1.5mg |
|
120ml |
18mg |
2 |
3mg |
|
120ml |
18mg |
3 |
4.5mg |
|
120ml |
18mg |
4 |
6mg |
|
60ml |
15mg |
½ |
1.25mg |
|
60ml |
15mg |
1 |
2.5mg |
|
120ml |
15mg |
2 |
2.5mg |
|
120ml |
15mg |
4 |
5mg |
These measurements will also be useful for those who are considering mixing their own shortfall vape juices from scratch, although you may wish to use a mixing calculator to work out how much VG, PG and flavour concentrate you will also need to create your desired e-liquid.
Can I use shortfills in my vape kit?
Of course you can! Regardless of whether you’re using something low powered like a mouth to lung vape, or a super powerful sub-ohm device - there’s a shortfill e-liquid for every type of vape! Mouth to lung vape kits, or those with a maximum wattage of 35W or less can be used with 50/50 e-liquids, including shortfills.
Sub-ohm vape kits are often quite powerful vape kits with a maximum wattage of above 40W. These direct to lung vape kits are compatible with high VG vape juices, such as those with a 70/30 VG/PG ratio, or above. So, no matter which type of vape kit you’re using, you can still use a shortfill vape liquid with it!
Why do shortfills have no nicotine?
Due to TPD regulations that came into force in May 2016 e-liquids that are larger than 10ml are not permitted to contain nicotine. As a result vape juice brands produce nicotine-free shortfill e-liquids and instead leave room for vapers to add their own nicotine to the bottle. This was one of many new regulations brought forward in order to ensure that e-liquids were of an acceptable quality and safe for vapers to use.