Nicotine Strength Guide for Smokers Switching to Vaping

Nicotine strength is the single most important choice when you move from cigarettes to vaping. Go too low and you'll cave within days because the cravings never let up. Too high and every puff makes you feel lightheaded or sick.

This nicotine strength guide covers every mg level sold in the UK from 3mg up to 20mg. Your smoking habit gets mapped to a starting point, and you'll see freebase and nic salt e-liquids compared side by side. There's also a breakdown of which kit type pairs with each strength.

Nicotine Strength Chart: Smoking Habit to Vape Strength

Match how many cigarettes you smoke per day to the vape nicotine strength most likely to keep you off them.

20mg/ml is the maximum nicotine strength sold in the UK under TPD rules. If you smoke more than a pack a day, start at 20mg nic salt and work down from there once the cigarette cravings settle.

How Vape Nicotine Compares to Cigarettes

Cigarettes and vape nicotine don't convert neatly because your body absorbs them differently. A cigarette has roughly 10mg to 12mg of nicotine in the tobacco, but your lungs only take in about 1mg to 1.5mg per smoke.

According to NHS guidance on using e-cigarettes to stop smoking, choosing the right nicotine strength in your vape liquid based on how much you smoked is important for managing cravings and switching from cigarettes to vaping successfully.

How much you get from vaping shifts depending on wattage, coil, draw length, and the strength itself. These rough figures give you somewhere to start though.

Take the numbers above as ballpark, not exact science. Longer, slower puffs at 6mg put more nicotine into your lungs per session than quick draws at the same strength. The freebase figures assume typical MTL vaping at moderate wattage, and the nic salt figure assumes tight MTL.

Freebase or Nic Salt: Which to Start With

Freebase and nic salt are the two types of nicotine e-liquid sold in the UK. They don't feel the same at equal mg levels, and knowing the difference matters when you're picking a starting strength.

Freebase nicotine gives a sharper throat hit and is the standard e-liquid type sold at 3mg, 6mg, 12mg, and 18mg. It works in sub-ohm kits, tanks, and pod kits. The throat hit gets harsher as the strength goes up, and most people find freebase uncomfortable above 12mg.

Nic salts are a different formula altogether. Benzoic acid keeps the throat hit smooth even at 20mg, and the nicotine reaches your bloodstream faster than freebase does. In the UK you'll find them at 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg. Low wattage pod kits below 20W are the right match. Our nic salt strengths guide breaks down each of those three levels if you want the full picture.

If you smoked 15 or more a day, start with 20mg nic salt in a pod kit. The quick absorption and smooth throat hit makes the first few days much easier. If you smoked under 10 a day and you want that cigarette throat hit feeling, 6mg freebase in a refillable kit gives you that.

Matching Nicotine Strength to Your Kit

Wattage changes everything about how a nicotine strength feels. The same 10mg juice feels mild in a pod kit at 12W but rough in a sub-ohm tank at 40W. More vapour per puff means more nicotine hitting your throat.

High nicotine (18mg freebase or 20mg nic salt):

• MTL pod kits under 20W
• Tight airflow, mouth to lung draw
• Coil resistance 0.8 ohm or higher

Medium nicotine (6mg to 12mg freebase or 10mg nic salt):

• Pod kits or low wattage tanks
• MTL or restricted direct lung draw
• Coil resistance 0.6 ohm to 1.2 ohm

Low nicotine (3mg to 6mg freebase or 5mg nic salt):

• Sub-ohm tanks, advanced kits, or pod kits
• Open airflow for sub-ohm, tighter for pod kits
• Coil resistance 0.2 ohm to 0.6 ohm for sub-ohm

Put 20mg nic salt in a sub-ohm kit at 50W and you'd flood yourself with nicotine. On the other end, 3mg freebase in a tight MTL pod at 12W won't touch heavy cravings. Strength and kit have to match. Our guide to choosing the right vape kit can help if you haven't picked one yet.

Stepping Down Over Time

You probably won't stay on your starting strength forever. Once cigarette cravings ease off (usually after the first month or two), you can start dropping down.

Nobody follows the same timeline. Some people cut their strength within a couple of months, others sit at 10mg for a year. Staying off cigarettes comes first, reducing nicotine comes second.

If cravings come back hard after dropping, go back up to the previous strength for another month. Rushing the steps leads to reaching for cigarettes again.

Signs You're on the Wrong Nicotine Strength

Strength too high:

• Headaches after vaping
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• Nausea, especially in the morning
• Harsh throat hit even on a tight MTL draw

Strength too low:

• Constant cravings that vaping doesn't settle
• Chain vaping and going through liquid fast
• Still thinking about cigarettes during the day
• Getting no satisfaction from each puff

Give any new strength three to four days before judging it. Your body takes time to adjust, especially when stepping down.

What Nicotine Strength for Prefilled Pods

Nearly every prefilled pod kit on the UK market ships with 20mg nic salt. A few brands offer 10mg options too, but the range is much narrower than what you get with refillable kits.

If you want full control over your nicotine strength from 0mg up to 20mg, a refillable pod kit is the way to go. Pair it with bottled nic salt or freebase e-liquid and you've got thousands of flavours to pick from. You can step down at your own pace too.