How Many Cigarettes Are In A Vape?
A look at nicotine strength and comparison to cigarettes.
Before we’re able to compare cigarettes and e-liquid, we need to know how much nicotine is in a cigarette.
Nicotinell, the popular NRT brand, state that an average cigarette has between 8 and 20 milligrams of nicotine. However, only around 1 mg of it is absorbed into the body from each one.
From this we can estimate roughly how many cigarettes are in a vape.
How Much Nicotine is in a Cigarette?
Most e-liquids do contain nicotine, and in various strengths. These range from 0% (which are nicotine free) to 2%. The strength of the liquid can be found on the packaging and bottle and is either written as percentage or milligrams (mg) per ml. So, a 10ml bottle of 2% e-liquid would contain 200mg of nicotine in total.
Shortfill liquids, which are mainly aimed at sub-ohm vapers, are all 0%. To achieve a 0.3% or 0.6%, nic shots are added to create the desired strength.
Does Vape Liquid Contain Nicotine?
How strong a vape is depends on the strength of the e-liquid. It goes without saying that the higher the liquid strength, the more cigarettes it’s equivalent to.
Here’s a handy table to summarise:
| Cigarettes per day | Strength of Liquid | |
| ~1 | 0.0% – 0.3% (0mg – 3mg) | |
| 1-5 | 0.3% (3mg) | |
| 5-15 | 0.6% – 1.0% (6mg – 10mg) | |
| 20+ | 1.4% – 2.0% (14mg – 20mg) |
Due to TRPR regulation, the maximum strength that should be sold in the UK is 2%. Some illegal vapes can reach as high as 5%, which is around the equivalent of smoking around 50 cigarettes a day! Obviously, we don’t advise vaping such high strengths and the MHRA has classified 5% nicotine as unsafe for public use.
How Many Cigarettes Are In A Vape?
The Elf Bar 600, as well as most other disposables, are available in a range of strengths. The most common strength among these is 2%, which is the equivalent of 20+ cigarettes a day. There is also 1%, which equate to around 5-15 and 0%, which are nicotine free.
How Many Cigarettes Are In An Elf Bar?
Knowing the strength you need, you now need to think about a couple of factors while choosing the right e-liquid. Let’s go through them.
Choosing The Right Vape Juice.
E-Liquid Thickness
The PG:VG ratio of the e-liquid determines its thickness.
Higher PG liquids are thinner and are best to use in lower powered devices. If you use high PG liquid in a sub-ohm kit then it might cause some leaking. The PG in vape juice is what provides the throat hit, so more PG means a harsher vape. Some examples of higher PG liquid include: TECC Titan and MyVapors.
50/50 juice is a nice balance of throat hit and vapour production. You can use these liquids in any device and are a perfect choice if you are unsure about which e-liquid is right for your kit. Examples of 50/50 liquids are: TECC Titus, Ohm Brew E-Liquid, Double Drip 50/50 and Element E-liquid.
E-liquids that are higher in VG are thicker and produce large amounts of vapour. These are perfect for sub-ohm devices and are available as both 10mls, like Double Drip, and shortfills such as TECC Urban Chase Shortfill, Zeus Juice and Riot Squad PUNX Shortfill.
Throat Hit
What you need to decide next is whether you want a throat hit or not. Most smokers prefer one, as it more closely mimics cigarettes. But, when vaping at higher strengths it can be a bit much on your throat.
If you want a throat hit, then regular freebase liquids are great. And, as mentioned above, higher PG ones give more throat hit.
For a lessened or no throat hit then the best solution would be a nic or bar salt. This formulation is a much smoother vape and allows users to vape high nicotine strengths without feeling it. Some great examples of nic and bar salts include: VLTZ e-liquid, Vampire Vape Bar Salts, ELFLIQ & Riot Bar EDTN.
And that’s it for our look at how many cigarettes are in a vape. Hopefully, you found this article useful. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact our helpful customer service team who will be happy to help.
