Nic Juice Concentration

[Griff2004]

I am new to the topic, and I have a newbie question: how is the nicotine "strength" or concentration of various juices rated? I saw statements like "12 mg", "18 mg", etc., which don't tell anything about the concentration. Is there a standard bottle size that they correspond to? (e.g. 10 ml, 30 ml)

 

[elfstone]

It's short for mg/ml. 18 mg = 18 mg/ml

I'd go further and say that doesn't say much about how much nicotine is in the vapor, and even less about how much nicotine you absorb. Some data indicates that nicotine from vapor is less well absorbed than from smoke or smokeless tobacco. It seems the absorption is slower, and it takes place, for most part, in the mouth / throat and not in the lungs.

Very broadly 24 mg is considered "high" in the sense that it tends to be satisfactory for a fairly heavy smoker, and too much for a light smoker. 16-18 mg would be "standard" and the rest is "low". Most people who smoke ~1 PAD of regulars seem to do well with 24 mg and even 18 mg. A lot new vapers vape a certain nic strength and keep a higher one as "rescue" for cravings. There is NO clear rule however, and I'm afraid you'll have to try several. A lot of people are able to drop their nic strength over time, some even to 0.

 

[36tinybells]

deleted due to an ability to delete. Question answered while I typed.

 

[JD4x4]

I saw this and rather than reply I thought I'd post a link to a "sticky" on the subject.. being sure that I had read it myself in a "sticky".
However.. I couldn't easily find one.
Perhaps someone should make elfstone's reply a "sticky" in the new members and e-liquid sections??

Yes, 12 mg means that there is 12mg of nicotine in each ml of the e-liquid. Search around here before you go trying to compare nicotine in tobacco products with nicotine in e-juice because the 'delivery' and body absorption methods are different. What elfstone said about relating it to heavy/light smokers seems to be pretty accurate on average though.

 

[Griff2004]

Thanks, elfstone, this was the answer I was looking for.

Also appreciate the note on the different rates of absorption between smoking and vaping. Saved me the trouble of calculating how much e-juice would be equivalent to my daily cigarette intake ... I think I'll start with 18 mg/ml and adjust from there.

 

[RocketRod]

Here is the explanation about nicotine, located in the ECF Library; http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/211345-new-users-nicotine-strength-questions.html

 

[Retriever]

I started with 36mg and found it to be a little too high. That said, 24mg is a little too low, so it is a fine balancing act depending on how much you smoked. I smoked 2 ppd.

 

[thorkild31]

I find the 24 is too harsh now but liked it at first.

 

[MickeyRat]

If you're lucky, you'll adjust easily and hit something that works for you. I had to bounce around a bit before I settled on 12. Just don't be freaked out if it happens to you. You will eventually settle somewhere.