Shortfill E Liquid

What Is Shortfill E-Liquid?

A shortfill e-liquid is a nicotine-free (0mg) bottle of vape juice packaged in a larger container than the liquid inside, leaving headroom for you to add nic shots yourself. UK law under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 caps any nicotine-containing e-liquid bottle at 10ml. So brands ship bigger sizes at 0mg and supply the nic shots separately.

The shortfill format is the legal way to buy e-liquid in larger volumes.

A 100ml shortfill arrives in a 120ml bottle. Inside is 100ml of liquid at 0mg nicotine. The 20ml of headroom takes two 10ml 18mg nic shots, which dilute to a full 120ml of finished juice at 3mg/ml nicotine. 100ml shortfill bottles are the most popular size in the range: the widest flavour availability, the best price per ml and the right amount to commit to a recipe without overcommitting.

Add the shots, cap, shake for 30 seconds, leave to stand 5 to 10 minutes for the flavour to settle, then vape. The whole process is a one-minute job.

UK Shortfill Brands

Six brands handle around 80% of UK shortfill demand. The table below is the buying shortlist. Tap any brand to see the full range.

Brand	Style	Best For
Dinner Lady	Classic UK premium	Dessert, custard and fruit-pastry profiles
IVG	Fruit and menthol	Cloud-chasing sub-ohm vapers
Zeus Juice	UK fruit-forward	Sweet, ripe-fruit blends
Wick Liquor	Premium boutique	Award-winning UK craft mixes
Doozy Vape	UK dessert and fruit	Sweet dessert and ripe-fruit recipes
Ohm Brew	50/50 UK craft	Pod-friendly shortfills

Smaller ranges from Fantasi, Just Juice, Drifter Bar, Bare Fruits, Lancashire Creamery, Bakd, 99.1 Pure, Twelve Monkeys and many more sit alongside.

Shortfill Sizes: 50ml, 100ml and 200ml

Three bottle sizes cover the UK shortfill market. The 100ml is the volume leader by some distance, but 50ml and 200ml each have specific use cases. Pick by how much juice you want at once and how committed you are to the flavour.

Shortfill size	Bottle volume	Nic shots needed	Best for
50ml shortfill	60ml bottle	1 x 10ml 18mg	Trying a new flavour, smaller hardware
100ml shortfill	120ml bottle	2 x 10ml 18mg	Daily driver, best value per ml
200ml shortfill	240ml bottle	4 x 10ml 18mg	Confirmed favourite flavour, bulk buy

The 100ml is the sweet spot: lowest price per ml on most ranges, broadest flavour availability and the right size to commit to a recipe without overcommitting. 50ml works for sampling and 200ml is for the recipe you already know you love.

Nic Shot Maths: Mixing to Strength

UK nic shots ship at 18mg/ml in 10ml bottles as standard. The dilution maths is straightforward: the strength of the finished mix is the nic shot strength divided by the total final volume.

Shortfill size	Nic shots added	Final strength	Final volume
50ml shortfill	1 x 10ml 18mg	3mg/ml	60ml
100ml shortfill	2 x 10ml 18mg	3mg/ml	120ml
200ml shortfill	4 x 10ml 18mg	3mg/ml	240ml
50ml shortfill	2 x 10ml 18mg	~5mg/ml	70ml
100ml shortfill	0 (vape as is)	0mg/ml	100ml

3mg is the standard sub-ohm vaping strength. Around 5 to 6mg is the practical upper limit for shortfill. Any higher than that needs nic salt e-liquid instead. 0mg works straight from the bottle without adding anything.

Need to go higher than 5mg? Pick a 50/50 shortfill and add two nic shots, or switch to the nic salt format.

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30 and 50/50

Two main VG/PG ratios exist in shortfill format. The mix you need depends on your hardware, not your flavour preference. The wrong ratio burns coils, leaks pods or wastes vapour. Always pick the ratio first, the recipe second.

• 70/30 high-VG shortfill - thicker juice built for sub-ohm DTL tanks and big-mesh coils. Bigger clouds, smoother throat hit, lower flavour intensity. This is the dominant UK shortfill ratio. Pair with kits from the sub-ohm kits hub.
• 50/50 shortfill - thinner juice for MTL pod kits and starter tanks that accept shortfill. Less cloud, sharper flavour, higher throat hit at the same strength. Doozy, Fantasi, Ohm Brew Double Brew and Zeus Juice 50/50 all make 50/50 shortfills built for pod hardware.
• 80/20 max-VG - rare in UK shortfill; cloud-chase territory only and almost exclusively from boutique brands. Most UK shortfills sit at 70/30 because that is the ratio mainstream sub-ohm hardware is tuned for.

Quick check: if your kit uses pods and refillable cartridges, pick 50/50. If it uses a tank with a sub-ohm coil head under 1.0 ohm, pick 70/30. Ratios in between (60/40, 65/35) are rare in shortfill format and not worth hunting for.

Related E-Liquid Formats

Longfill concentrates

A longfill is a 10ml flavour concentrate you dilute into a larger empty bottle with VG/PG base and your own nic shots. The concentrate is 4 to 5 times stronger than a ready-mixed shortfill, giving more flavour intensity at a lower price per ml. Best for vapers comfortable with a bit of DIY mixing. See the longfills collection for the full range.

How to Mix a Shortfill

Mixing a shortfill is a one-minute job. Three steps cover every bottle in the range. No mixing kit, no syringes, no maths beyond what is printed on the nic shot bottle.

• Open the shortfill bottle. Most UK shortfills use a child-resistant cap that needs a push-and-twist. Older bottles use a screw cap. Pop the inner dropper top off if it has one.
• Add the nic shot. One 10ml 18mg shot per 50ml of shortfill gives 3mg final strength. Two shots per 100ml gives 3mg. Four shots per 200ml gives 3mg. The maths is always the same ratio.
• Cap and shake. 30 seconds of vigorous shaking blends the nic shot through the juice. Stand the bottle for 5 to 10 minutes so the flavour and nicotine settle, then it is ready to vape.

Some brands now sell pre-mixed shortfills at 3mg or 6mg in 60ml or 120ml bottles. Check the strength on the label rather than assuming the bottle is 0mg. If it says 3mg, do not add a nic shot on top.

UK Vaping Products Duty 2026

The UK Vaping Products Duty was confirmed in the 2024 Budget and is set to take effect from 1 October 2026 at a flat rate per 10ml of e-liquid, regardless of nicotine strength. The duty applies to the shortfill plus any nic shots added once they ship at 18mg.

The single flat rate means strength no longer changes the duty. A 0mg shortfill is taxed the same as a 20mg nic salt, so the cheapest way to mix your own nicotine is still a 0mg shortfill plus shots.

Until the duty lands, shortfill prices are at pre-duty levels. Vapers stocking up now lock in current pricing on bottles they would otherwise buy at higher prices from October 2026 onwards.

The Vaping Products Duty is being introduced alongside an equivalent tobacco duty rise, with the aim of keeping vape products cheaper than smoking. The gap will narrow significantly once the duty applies.

Pairing Shortfill With Your Vape Kit

Most UK 100ml shortfill bottles are 70/30 VG/PG and designed for sub-ohm hardware. That means a kit with a tank that takes coil heads rated under 1.0 ohm, with at least 40W of power and adjustable airflow.

The match between juice and hardware matters: too thin a juice in a sub-ohm tank gives weak flavour and risks leaks; too thick a juice in a pod kit burns the coil.

Three buying anchors when pairing with new hardware:

• Sub-ohm tank with a 0.15 to 0.4 ohm coil - flagship sub-ohm option, big clouds, best flavour from 70/30 shortfill. See the sub-ohm kits hub.
• Refillable pod-mod with a sub-ohm pod - sits between pod kit and sub-ohm tank. Vaporesso Armour G, OXVA Xlim Pro and similar take 70/30 shortfill in their sub-ohm pods.
• MTL pod kit with a 50/50 shortfill - if you have a pod kit you like, look for the 50/50 ratio rather than the 70/30. Doozy 50/50, Fantasi 50/50 and Ohm Brew Double Brew all sit here.

For the broader hardware range, see the full refillable vape kits page. Shortfills and refillable kits are designed as a pair.

Shortfill or Nic Salt?

If you are still deciding between formats, the choice comes down to hardware and nicotine strength. Two simple rules cover most vapers:

• Sub-ohm tank vaper or cloud chaser - shortfill at 70/30 VG/PG, 0 to 5mg final strength after nic shots. Bigger bottles, lower per-ml cost, designed for high-vapour hardware.
• Pod kit user, ex-smoker, or someone who needs 10mg or more nicotine - nic salt at 50/50, 10mg or 20mg. See the nic salt e-liquids page. Shortfills are not designed for high-strength MTL vaping.
• Zero nicotine - vape the shortfill straight as 0mg. No nic shot needed.

For the full pre-mixed range across both formats, see the e-liquid hub.

Storing and Steeping Shortfill

A 0mg shortfill keeps for 18 to 24 months unopened. Once mixed with a nic shot, finished juice keeps for 12 months in a cool, dark place. Heat, sunlight and air all degrade nicotine over time.

Store the bottle upright with the cap tight.

Steeping is the process of letting a freshly mixed shortfill develop in flavour over a few days. Most 70/30 sub-ohm bottles are ready to vape immediately after shaking. Dessert, custard and tobacco recipes benefit from 3 to 7 days of steep at room temperature: the flavour deepens and rounds out.

Fruit and menthol recipes generally do not need steeping.

Quick steep: shake the bottle, leave the cap off for 10 minutes, recap and store for 24 to 48 hours. The change in flavour intensity is most noticeable on dessert and tobacco recipes. Fruit blends are usually best straight off the shake.

Shortfill Flavour Categories

The range covers every major flavour category the UK vape market recognises. Recipes broadly fall into one of these five groups:

• Fruit shortfills - the biggest category by volume. Single-fruit (mango, blackcurrant, strawberry), fruit blends (tropical, summer fruits) and ice variations (fruit with menthol). IVG, Doozy, Bare Fruits and Just Juice lead this category.
• Dessert and bakery blends - custards, creams, cheesecakes, cookies and pastries. Dinner Lady, Bakd, Lancashire Creamery and Wick Liquor sit here. Often benefit from 3 to 7 days steep before vaping.
• Menthol and ice blends - pure menthol, ice-fruit and koolada profiles. Lower flavour intensity than fruit but stronger throat hit. Riot Squad and the original IVG Menthol range are reference points here.
• Tobacco blends - the smallest category but a loyal following. Classic RY4, smooth Virginia and dark tobacco profiles. Most need 5 to 10 days steep to mature.
• Drinks and sweets blends - cola, lemonade, energy drink, gummy bear and sherbet recipes. Bold, flavour-forward profiles from the novelty end of the shortfill market.

Compatible Sub-Ohm Hardware

Any sub-ohm tank built for 70/30 VG/PG juice works with the 100ml shortfill. The vast majority of refillable sub-ohm hardware sold in the UK today qualifies. The match between tank coil resistance and juice viscosity matters more than the bottle size:

• 0.15 to 0.4 ohm mesh coil - flagship sub-ohm coils, big mesh surface area, ideal for 70/30 shortfill at 40 to 80W. Best flavour and cloud production.
• 0.4 to 0.6 ohm restricted DTL coil - sits between sub-ohm and MTL. Works with 70/30 juice at lower wattage (20 to 35W) or with 50/50 juice at slightly higher wattage. Flavour-forward, less cloud.
• 0.6 to 1.0 ohm MTL pod or coil - traditionally nic salt territory but accepts 50/50 juice at 10 to 20W. Restricted draw, sharp flavour, low cloud.
• 1.0 ohm or above MTL coil - very rare for this format. Stick to nic salt at this resistance.

Shortfill Buying Guide

Three rules cover most first-time shortfill buyers:

• Match the ratio to your kit. Sub-ohm tank = 70/30. Pod kit = 50/50. Pod-mod with sub-ohm pod = 70/30. Get this wrong and the kit either burns the juice or leaks it.
• Start with 100ml. The sweet spot for value, flavour availability and bottle commitment. Drop to 50ml if you want to sample, jump to 200ml once you have a confirmed favourite.
• Pick a recognised UK brand. Dinner Lady, IVG, Doozy, Wick Liquor, Zeus Juice and Riot Squad are reliable benchmarks. Smaller brands like Bakd, 99.1 Pure, Lancashire Creamery and Bare Fruits punch above their price point.

Stock rotates regularly as brands refresh their flavour ranges. New launches drop in weekly across the 1,400+ active bottles in the range.

For one-off wildcards outside the headline brands, try a bottle of Skwezed Apple 100ml shortfill, the Yorkshire Barista Hazelnut Latte 100ml, the Balls Vape Mango Greek Yogurt 100ml, or the Lcious 100ml dessert shortfill. DIY mixers should also have a look at the T-Juice Red Astaire 30ml concentrate — a UK cult classic for home mixing.