E-liquid Ratios Explained: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide

At E-liquids.com, we want to give you everything you need to start vaping and help you get the most out of your vape juices. That’s why we don’t just sell e-liquids, but also provide loads of helpful eliquid insights to make sure you become a vaping expert!

For those of you who hate maths, talking about ratios can seem pretty boring, but we've made it super simple. So, let’s start with the basics!

E-liquids are essentially a nicotine-based liquid vapour substitute for traditional cigarette smoking. Broken down, they contain water, flavouring, nicotine and two other primary ingredients known as Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerine (VG) which are non-toxic and safe for human consumption via vaping devices. 

Frequently used in foods and other everyday items, PG and VG determine the density of vapour clouds, the intensity of e-liquid flavours, and the strength of the throat hit.

This super simple formulation doesn't contain any of the hidden nasties found in tobacco, which is why so many people switch from smoking to vaping to help them quit!

All e-liquids with the exception of shortfills contain nicotine in varying strengths, allowing you to lower or increase your intake overtime.

Vegetable Glycerin (VG) is an odourless and colourless liquid. It’s frequently used in FDA-approved medicines due to its antiviral properties, while also being used in a large number of food items as a sweetener. 

In vaping, VG controls cloud production and the smoothness of throat hits. More VG equals a thicker viscosity, which produces more vapour and smoother throat hits.

PG is a well-known food additive that’s recognised as generally safe by the FDA. It's another odourless, colourless liquid with a slightly sweet hint to it.

When used in e-liquids, its main role is to provide a harsher throat hit (like smokers are used to) and to make the vape flavour more pronounced!

Now that you know more about PG and VG, it's time to figure out which e-liquid ratio is right for you. There are three types of e-liquid ratios, including High PG e-liquids, High VG e-liquids and 50/50 e-liquids.

The higher the PG, the higher the throat hit and the intensity of the vape flavour. Their lower VG level means they’ll produce less vapour clouds, making for a more discreet option. You can expect fuller flavours and more intense throat hits with High PG e-liquids.

High PG e-liquids are best used with Mouth-to-Lung pen-style or pod-style kits and are great for ex-smokers due to their satisfyingly strong throat hits. High PG e-liquids always perform well in MTL vape devices as they have a thinner consistency and provide an increased throat hit.

High levels of VG will lead to thicker, more impressive clouds, as well as a smoother vape. So, if you're after seriously rich flavours and massive vapour, you should always go for high VG e-liquids.

High VG e-liquids can be used with DTL (Direct-to-Lung) sub-ohm vape kits which utilise coil resistances below 1.0ohm.

High VG e-liquids are always better in more powerful devices like sub-ohm kits because of their thicker consistency. Thanks to the reduced throat hit, you can inhale the liquid vapour direct-to-lung and really hit some massive clouds!

This middle ground option actually has more in common with high PG e-liquids than it does VG. 50/50 e-liquids have a slightly smoother throat hit, but they still pack a flavourful punch.

50/50 e-liquids are your go-to choice if you're a complete beginner looking for an experience that's similar to smoking.

50/50 e-liquids can be used with pod-style or pen-style kits which utilise coils with resistances of 0.7ohm or above.

No, we don’t recommend it, and here’s why: low resistance coils used in sub-ohm kits heat up super fast, so the throat hit from high PG e-liquids will be far stronger than you’d expect. 

That’s not the only reason why using high PG vape juices in sub-ohm kits isn’t the best idea. As high PG e-liquids have a thinner viscosity, they can also cause leaks in higher-powered kits. 

Again, no. We don’t recommend it! Using High VG e-liquids in pen-style or pod-style kits that use coils with 1.0ohm resistances or above will result in burnt out coils at a far faster rate, not to mention unpleasant dry hits. 

This is because thick e-liquids can’t pass through the cotton fast enough in smaller high-resistance coils. In other words, when the cotton is constantly dry, the coil will burn.

This may sound odd, but it'll help you pinpoint whether you're wanting a device with more ease-of-use or power.

If you're a complete beginner vaper, we recommend starting with something simple and efficient before moving on to a more advanced vape. This is where pod kits come in!

Suitable for use with high PG e-liquids including 50/50s and nicotine salts, pod kits are also commonly known as mouth-to-lung (MTL) vape devices, because you first inhale the vapour into your mouth before inhaling into your lungs like a cigarette. Because of this cigarette-like approach to vaping, MTL or pod kits are very popular among the rising number of people looking to quit smoking with vaping.

MTL or pod kits are low-powered vape devices that have limited scope for customisation but are lightweight and often an ‘all-in-one’ style piece of kit. Pod kits are simple and light, and many are ready to use straight out of the box. If you’re looking for stylish, discreet and convenient vaping, pod kits reign supreme. Check out this page for more info on these neat little devices!

Ideal for use with shortfills which are high VG e-liquids, sub-ohm kits offer a different approach to vaping. You may recognise these as the chunky, high-tech looking devices with huge vapour clouds you see while out and about.

Sub-ohm devices take vaping to a whole new level. These kits are designed with more features for deeper customisation of vape coils and vape tanks, allowing you to build the vape that you envision! The phrase sub-ohm refers to the resistance of the coil - this lower resistance allows vapers to kick out denser, more impressive clouds.

Sub-ohm kits are ideal for those looking to expand their vaping game and are often used by experienced vapers and cloud-chasers, which is why we wouldn't recommend them for beginners. However, it's common to see people with both a pod kit and a sub ohm kit, using one for more casual on-the-go vaping and the other for powerful all-day vaping.

Choosing your e-liquids is all part of the fun and excitement of vaping - this is especially true for first time users!

If you’re completely new to vaping, we recommend going with 10ml nicotine salt e-liquids first as they’ll be able to provide you with the best nicotine satisfaction alongside smooth throat hits and clear flavours. There's also 10ml 50/50 e-liquids, which provide a nice balance between smooth flavours, throat hits and clouds. Both 50/50 and nicotine salt vape juices come preloaded with nicotine in strengths varying from 3mg-20mg.

Once you begin vaping with a more advanced vape kit, make sure to vape with 50ml/100ml shortfill e-liquids. These types of e-liquids contain 0mg nicotine and can be cost-effective as you'll be able to buy more e-liquid at once! You can vape these flavours without nicotine or choose to add up to two nic shots which are simply flavourless nicotine e-liquids.

We have a whole in-depth e-liquid guide here which covers all of the most common questions surrounding vape juices.

Remember, you can always chat to one of our experts should you need extra support on your vaping journey. WhatsApp us on +44 7487 511 529 or give us a bell on 0121 272 2900 - we’re here from 9am-5pm Mon-Fri!