Nic Salt Strengths Guide: Choose 5mg, 10mg or 20mg

Nic salt strength changes everything about how your vape feels. The same pod kit with the same flavour tastes completely different at 5mg compared to 20mg. Throat hit, flavour intensity, how often you reach for it, and how fast cravings settle all shift depending on which mg level you pick.

Three strengths cover the UK market: 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg. All nic salt e-liquids sold in the UK use the same nicotine salt formula with benzoic acid. Only the concentration of nicotine inside the bottle changes between them. If you are not sure what nicotine salts actually are or how they differ from freebase, our guide to nic salts covers the basics.

Nic Salt Strength Chart

This is a quick reference. Match your smoking history to the right nic salt mg level.

20mg is the legal maximum for nic salt e-liquid in the UK under TPD rules. You will not find anything stronger on the shelves at any UK retailer.

Is 20mg of Nicotine a Lot?

Yes, by vaping standards 20mg is a lot. It is the strongest nicotine level legally sold in the UK, and it is the right level only for people replacing a serious cigarette habit. In a nic salt it is strong without being harsh, because the benzoic acid smooths the throat hit in a way 18mg freebase never manages.

At 20mg, you will feel the nicotine take hold within a few puffs. Someone coming off 20 cigarettes a day usually needs this level for the first few weeks. It takes the edge off cravings fast and means you are not vaping constantly to get what you need.

Keep the wattage low with 20mg. Anything above 15W starts pushing too much nicotine per puff and can make you feel dizzy or nauseous. Tight MTL pod kits between 8W and 15W are the right match.

20mg Nicotine vs Cigarettes

People ask how 20mg nic salt compares to a cigarette. A standard cigarette contains roughly 10mg to 12mg of nicotine, but your lungs only absorb about 1mg to 1.5mg of that per cigarette. Nic salt absorption rates fall somewhere between the two depending on how you vape.

There is not an exact puff for puff equivalent because draw length, wattage, and coils resistance all change the amount you take in. As a rough guide, a 2ml pod of 20mg nic salt contains 40mg of total nicotine in the bottle. You will not absorb all of it, but there is enough in one pod to cover what a pack a day smoker needs across a full day.

10mg Nic Salt: The Middle Ground

10mg is where most vapers end up long term. It is strong enough to keep cravings quiet without being so heavy that you notice it in your throat with every puff.

If you smoked between 10 and 20 cigarettes a day and you have been vaping for a while, 10mg usually hits the right balance. The flavour comes through clearly at this strength because the nicotine does not overpower it the way 20mg can with some profiles.

You can see every flavour we stock at this middle strength in our 10mg nic salts range.

10mg works in any pod kit or MTL tank. You have more flexibility with wattage here too. Anything from 8W up to around 18W gives a good vape without the nicotine becoming overwhelming.

10mg vs 20mg Nic Salts: Which to Buy

This is one of the most common questions in the shop. The short answer depends on where you are in your switch from smoking.

Starting on 20mg and stepping down to 10mg after a month or two is a common path. Once the cigarette cravings stop being a daily problem, most people find 10mg does the job without the heavier throat hit.

5mg Nic Salt: For Lower Nicotine Vaping

5mg is the lightest nic salt strength on the UK market. The throat hit almost disappears at this level and flavour becomes the main event. Fruit, dessert, and menthol profiles all taste noticeably sharper at 5mg because the nicotine is not dulling them.

This strength suits people who only smoked a few cigarettes a day or vapers who have already stepped down from 10mg. It is also a good fit for all day vaping because you can puff regularly without taking in too much nicotine across the day.

Browse our full range of 5mg nic salts to see every flavour available at the lightest strength.

5mg nic salts work in every refillable pod kit on the market. You can also use 5mg in slightly higher wattage kits (up to 20W or so) without any issues. At this strength, RDL style pods with a slightly airier draw work fine alongside standard MTL setups.

Working down further still? Our zero nicotine vapes collection covers the 0mg end of the journey.

Percentage to mg Conversion

Vape brands in some countries label nicotine as a percentage instead of mg/ml. In the UK, labels show mg/ml, but if you are comparing products from abroad or reading US reviews, you will see percentages.

Anything labelled 2% or 20mg/ml is the same thing. The UK caps nicotine e-liquid at 20mg/ml regardless of whether it is nic salt or freebase. Any bottle claiming higher than 2% is not legal for sale in the UK under TPD.

The other place these numbers come up is mixing your own strength with shortfills and nic shots. If you are working out how many shots a 50ml or 100ml bottle needs to reach 3mg or 6mg, our nic shot mixing charts work through the maths for every bottle size.

Wattage and Coil Settings for Nic Salts

The strength you are vaping affects which wattage works best. Higher nicotine at higher wattage pushes too much into each puff and can make you feel rough.

Most pod kits handle wattage on their own based on coil resistance. If your kit has manual wattage control, start at the low end of the range above and bump it up until the flavour cleans up. Our guide to finding your wattage goes into more detail if you want to dial it in.

Signs You Are on the Wrong Strength

Your body tells you when the nicotine level is not right. This is what to look for.

Strength too high:

• Headaches or feeling lightheaded after a few puffs
• Nausea or a rough feeling in your stomach
• Throat feels too harsh even on a tight MTL draw
• You do not enjoy the vape because the nicotine overpowers the flavour

Strength too low:

• Puffing constantly without ever feeling satisfied
• Strong cravings first thing in the morning
• Going through pods much faster than expected
• Reaching for a cigarette because the vape is not cutting it

Give any new strength at least three or four days before switching. Your body needs time to adjust, especially when stepping down from 20mg to 10mg.

If you would rather not guess, our nicotine strength finder matches your smoking history to a suggested strength in a few questions.

Choosing Your First Nic Salt Strength

If you have never vaped before and you are coming off cigarettes, the nicotine strength guide for smokers walks through matching your cigarette intake to the right vape strength.

For anyone already vaping on freebase and thinking about trying nic salts, match the mg level across. Vaping 6mg freebase on a sub-ohm kit is not the same as 6mg in a pod kit though. Coil resistance and wattage change how much nicotine each puff carries. Start with 10mg nic salt in a pod kit and adjust from there.

Bar salts and regular nic salts both come in the same three strengths. The only difference between them is the flavour profile, not the nicotine formula. Pick whichever flavour range you prefer and choose the mg level based on the chart above.