Published on: 06/03/2023
Guide to the nicotine concentration for your electronic cigarette
Smokers who decide to start vaping very often find themselves faced with a decisive question in taking their first steps into the world of vaping: how much nicotine should an e-cig contain to equal that taken through traditional cigarettes?
Answering this question is crucial for those who want to reduce the damage caused by vaping cigarettes without experiencing the typical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
If you too are a smoker and want to know how much nicotine an electronic cigarette contains, and how much you should take based on your habits, you will find all the information you are looking for in the following article.
How much nicotine does an e-cigarette contain?
There is no precise answer to this question. It all depends on the e-liquid you are using.
You have probably noticed that your e-liquids accurately report the concentration of nicotine contained within them which is measured in milligrams per milliliter, for example 9 mg/ml.
You know what that means?
For every milliliter of product, the liquid contains 9 milligrams of nicotine. Consequently, the total amount of this substance depends on the concentration of the e-liquid, but also on another factor: the capacity of the atomizer which, in most cases, ranges from 2 ml up to 4/5 ml.
In summary, if you want to accurately calculate how much nicotine your electronic cigarette contains, you have to proceed as follows:
- check what is the capacity of your atomizer;
- multiply this value by the nicotine concentration of the e-liquid you are using.
Let’s take a quick example: let’s assume that your atomizer has a capacity of 4 ml and that your e-liquid contains a nicotine concentration of 6 mg/ml.
We calculate: 4 ml x 6 mg/ml = 24 mg.
Simple, isn’t it?
What you need to know if you want to compare nicotine from e-cigarettes to that from traditional cigarettes
If you’re looking for information on how much nicotine an e-cigarette contains, comparing vaping to tobacco smoke, you might think you have all the data you need. It’s enough to use the formula mentioned in the previous paragraph, right?
On the other hand, traditional cigarette packs accurately report the amount of nicotine contained in each blonde (usually 0.7 mg, or 14 mg for each pack of 20), so it shouldn’t be difficult to compare vaping and smoking.
For example, if you are using an e-liquid with a concentration of 9mg/ml, and you vape it with a 2ml atomizer, you could do the following calculation: 2ml x 9mg/ml = 18mg. Consequently, you would conclude that, every time you run out of e-liquid in your tank, you consume an amount of nicotine identical to that taken with a pack of cigarettes.
In reality, you are still missing a crucial piece of information: liquid nicotine has a lower bioavailability than that contained in cigarettes. In other words, at the same concentration your body takes in less than it would absorb with traditional cigarettes, one third to be precise.
Keeping this fact in mind, let’s repeat the calculation we just made: 2 ml x 9 mg/ml = 18 mg. We divide by three and we get 6 mg, a much lower amount of nicotine than that taken by consuming a pack of traditional cigarettes!
How to calculate the ideal nicotine concentration for your e-cigarette liquids
At this point, you have all the information you need to understand what is the ideal concentration of nicotine that your e-liquids should contain based on your previous smoking habits.
First, answer this question: How many traditional cigarettes did you smoke every day? A whole package?
In this case, it means that you used to take 14 mg of nicotine every day.
Now, answer a second question: do you vape assiduously and use a lot of e-liquid, or do you use your e-cig in moderation? If you are an inveterate vaper, you probably consume around 4ml per day (MTL vape) or 10ml per day (DTL vape).
Let’s consider the first hypothesis: you consume 4 ml of e-liquid per day with a cheek atomizer.
Now, let’s put all the pieces of the puzzle together. We multiply 14 mg x 3 = 42 mg: this is the amount of nicotine you need to take with your e-cigarette to equal that contained in a pack of cigarettes.
We divide by the milliliters of e-liquid you usually consume 42 mg every day : 4 ml = approximately 10 mg/ml.
Here is the answer: the ideal concentration of nicotine for your e-liquids is 10 mg/ml!
Read also: E-cigarette and asthma: everything you need to know
In conclusion
In this article, I explained how much nicotine an electronic cigarette contains and how to calculate the ideal concentration of your e-liquids based on your previous smoking habits. I hope this information will help you effectively control your addiction and reduce the harm to your health through vaping at the same time.
If you are looking for the best products for vapers, take a look at our store: on Terpy you will find e-liquids for electronic cigarettes, liquid flavour concentrates, liquid nicotine and many other items for your vaping sessions!