Nicotine strength: mg and % made simple
The numbers on a vape or a pouch — 10mg, 20mg, 3%, 5% — trip up almost everyone at the start. They look like two different systems. They are not. Here is what they mean, what South Africa specifically allows on the shelf, and how to pick a strength that actually suits you.
mg/ml and % are the same measurement
Nicotine strength gets written two ways:
- mg/ml — milligrams of nicotine per millilitre of liquid (10mg, 20mg, 50mg).
- % — the same thing as a percentage of the liquid by volume (1%, 2%, 5%).
They convert directly: 1% = 10mg/ml.
| Percentage | mg/ml | Typically found in |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0mg | Zero-nicotine liquid and disposables |
| 0.3% | 3mg | Freebase liquid for larger devices |
| 0.6% | 6mg | Freebase liquid for larger devices |
| 1% | 10mg | Lighter-strength pods and disposables |
| 2% | 20mg | The most common disposable and pod strength |
| 5% | 50mg | High-strength disposables |
So a device marked 5% holds roughly 50mg/ml, and a 20mg/ml bottle is 2%. Same measure, different label. If a product only shows one of the two, multiply or divide by ten.
Why South Africa sells strengths Europe does not
This is the part worth knowing, because it changes how carefully you need to read the box here.
The European Union caps e-liquid nicotine at 20mg/ml (2%) under its Tobacco Products Directive. The UK follows the same ceiling. South Africa has no nicotine-strength cap in force. That is why 50mg / 5% disposables are legal and widely sold here while the identical device cannot be sold in Paris or London.
The practical consequence: you cannot assume a legal maximum is protecting you from picking something far too strong. A 5% device is two-and-a-half times the strongest liquid legally sold in the EU. For someone who has never smoked, that is a lot of nicotine, and the usual result is a headache and nausea rather than a pleasant experience.
Read the strength before you buy. It is the single most important number on the packaging.
Which strength suits you?
There is no universally correct number. It depends almost entirely on what — if anything — you used before.
If you have never smoked: the honest answer is that nicotine is addictive and there is no health reason to start. If you are going to vape anyway, start at 0mg or the lowest strength available.
If you are switching from cigarettes, match the strength roughly to your previous habit:
- Light or social smoker (a few a day): around 10mg / 1%.
- Around half a pack a day: 10–20mg / 1–2%.
- A pack a day or more: 20mg / 2% is the usual landing spot, and where most people switching successfully end up.
- Heavy smoker who finds 20mg isn’t holding them: higher-strength devices exist here, but treat 50mg / 5% as a ceiling to step down from, not a starting point.
If you already vape and are changing device type, remember that the same strength feels different in different hardware — see the section below.
Too high or too low: how to tell
Your body gives fairly clear signals.
Too high feels like nicotine sickness: a harsh, scratchy throat hit, light-headedness, a headache, nausea, sometimes a racing heart. If that happens, stop, drink some water, and drop a strength. It passes.
Too low is subtler and mostly shows up as behaviour rather than sensation — you find yourself vaping constantly, never quite satisfied, and getting through liquid or disposables far faster than you expected. Chain-vaping a weak liquid can end up delivering more nicotine overall than a stronger one used occasionally, and it costs more.
If you are unsure, start lower. Stepping up is easy and pleasant. Stepping down from too much is not.
Salt nicotine vs freebase — why the same number feels different
Two liquids at the same mg can feel completely unalike, and this is why.
- Freebase nicotine is the traditional form. It gets harsh in the throat as strength rises, which is why freebase liquid is usually sold at low strengths — 3mg or 6mg — for bigger devices that produce a lot of vapour.
- Salt nicotine (nic salts) is buffered with an acid, which makes it much smoother at high strengths and absorbed faster. This is why almost every disposable and pod on the market uses salts, and why 20mg of salt nicotine is comfortable while 20mg of freebase would be unbearable.
The rule of thumb: high strength in a small device is salt nicotine; low strength in a big device is freebase. If you move from a 20mg pod to a large refillable device, do not carry the 20mg across — you would be looking for something nearer 3–6mg.
Nicotine pouches use the same logic
Pouches are labelled in mg per pouch rather than per millilitre, so the numbers are not directly comparable to e-liquid. But the principle holds: lighter users start low, heavier users go higher, and strength varies a lot between brands. Because there is no liquid involved, the per-millilitre excise duty on vaping liquid does not apply to them in the same way.
Strength does not change the tax
One small piece of South African trivia that saves confusion: the SARS excise duty on vaping liquid is R3.29 per millilitre from 30 April 2026, and it is charged on the volume of liquid, whether or not it contains nicotine. A 0mg bottle and a 50mg bottle of the same size carry the same duty. So if a higher-strength product costs more, that is the retailer’s pricing — not tax. There is more on how the duty works in our guide to the rules.
Getting it right
Pick the strength that matches what you used before, in the device type that suits you, and adjust once from there. It makes far more difference to whether vaping works for you than which brand or flavour you choose.
Next, read disposable vs pod vs pen to match that strength to the right hardware, or see how vape delivery works if you are ready to order.
Frequently asked
What does 5% nicotine mean on a vape?
5% means 50mg of nicotine per millilitre of liquid. Percentage and mg/ml are the same measurement written two ways — 1% equals roughly 10mg/ml, so 2% is 20mg/ml and 5% is 50mg/ml.
Why are 50mg vapes sold in South Africa but not in Europe?
The EU caps e-liquid nicotine at 20mg/ml under its Tobacco Products Directive. South Africa has no nicotine-strength cap in force, so higher-strength devices around 50mg/5% are legally sold here. It means South African buyers need to read the strength themselves rather than assume a legal ceiling.
What nicotine strength should a new vaper start on?
If you have never smoked, start at the lowest strength available or zero. If you are switching from cigarettes, lighter smokers usually suit around 10mg/1% and pack-a-day smokers around 20mg/2%. Start lower if you are unsure — stepping up is easy, and too much nicotine is unpleasant.
Is a higher nicotine strength more expensive in South Africa?
Not in tax terms. South Africa’s excise duty on vaping liquid is charged per millilitre of liquid at R3.29/ml from 30 April 2026, whether or not it contains nicotine, so strength does not change the duty. Retail prices can still differ between products.
For adults 18+ only. Nicotine is an addictive substance.