Shortfill E-liquid

Shortfills are underfilled bottles of nicotine-free eliquid that have room for a nicotine shot. A popular alternative to classic 10ml eliquids, they are a versatile option and can work out much cheaper than purchasing multiple 10ml bottles.

The shortfill emerged due to the introduction of the TPD (Tobacco Product Directive) which prohibited the sale of nicotine-containing eliquid in anything larger than a 10ml bottle. Shortfills get around this rule as they do not contain nicotine, and by leaving room for the user to add a nic shot they can easily be converted into a low strength nicotine containing e-liquid. Available in a range of sizes, the most popular are 50ml shortfills which have room for a single 10ml nic shot, and 100ml shortfills which have room for two nic shots.

Shortfills usually contain a larger proportion of flavour concentrate to account for the dilution which occurs when the user adds a nic shot. This means even when you add nicotine you'll still experience the same level of flavour as you would with a premixed 10ml eliquid.

Often featuring a high VG concentration, with 70% VG being the most common, shortfill eliquids are generally recommended for use with sub ohm vape kits. There are, however, a growing number that feature a higher PG content.

VG/PG ratio aside, in almost all cases, you won't be able to make a shortfill contain more than 6mg of eliquid. This combination of possible nicotine strength and VG/PG ratio means they're not the best choice for MTL vape kits. They'll either be too thick, or won't have a high enough nicotine strength. If you're looking for an eliquid to use with your MTL kit, we recommend a 10ml TPD eliquid.

Every shortfill has room for 10ml nic shots to be added, but there are different sizes on offer. Bigger bottles, like 100ml shortfils and 200ml shortfills, can save you more money and they’re just as easy to use as smaller 50ml shortfills. You’ll just need to add more nic shots. For example, Joe’s Juice 200ml shortfills have room for four nic shots, offering you a quick way to create 240ml of nicotine-containing e-liquid.

A nicotine shot, or nic shot, is a flavourless 10ml eliquid. They can be vaped on their own, but are most commonly combined with a shortfill. Your 0mg shortfill will dilute the nicotine in each shot when the two are mixed. For example, adding an 18mg shot to a 50ml shortfill and mixing them will create 60ml of 3mg eliquid. We've created a handy shortfill calculator to help you pick the right strength shot for use with your e-liquid. To help create an eliquid that's individual to the user, there's a range of different strengths, as well as the option of freebase nicotine shots and salt nicotine shots.

If you're looking for more information on e-liquids in general, we've put together a comprehensive easy-to-read eliquid guide to get you started. Along with our guide to shortfill e-liquids, you'll have everything at your disposal to pick the right e-liquid for you. For a direct recommendation, why not contact our Customer Service team. They have all the info on the latest products and are always happy to give advice.