Shortfill E-Liquid UK Guide 2026: What It Is & How to Mix
A shortfill is a large bottle of nicotine-free e-liquid, usually 50ml or 100ml, sold with extra empty space at the top so you can add your own nicotine afterwards. You buy the bottle at 0mg, add one or two small nic shots on top, give it a shake, and you've got a full bottle of vape juice at whatever strength suits you. It exists because UK law won't let anyone sell you a 50ml or 100ml bottle that already contains nicotine, so shortfills are the workaround: sell the bulk of the liquid nicotine-free, then let the customer add the nicotine themselves in a separate, smaller bottle. We've just added 536 shortfill e-liquids across 14 collections, so this is the guide we point customers to when the maths or the terminology gets confusing.
Why Shortfills Exist: the UK's 10ml Nicotine Rule
Under the UK's TPD-derived e-liquid regulations, any bottle that already contains nicotine is capped at 10ml, and the nicotine strength inside it can't go above 20mg/ml. That's fine for a 10ml nic salt bottle, but it's no use if you get through a bottle a week and don't want to keep buying and refilling from tiny 10ml bottles. There's no such cap on nicotine-free e-liquid, though, which is why shortfills are bottled at 50ml and 100ml and sold at 0mg. You add the nicotine yourself, after purchase, using a separate 10ml nic shot bottle. Because you're the one combining the two, not us selling it pre-mixed above the legal size, the whole thing stays within the rules while giving you a much bigger bottle than a straight nic salt purchase ever could.
50ml vs 100ml Shortfills: Which Size Makes Sense
A 50ml shortfill usually comes in a 60ml bottle, with 10ml of headroom for exactly one nic shot. A 100ml shortfill usually comes in a 120ml bottle, with 20ml of headroom for two nic shots. Beyond the size of the bottle, the choice mostly comes down to how much you get through and how many flavours you like to keep on the go. If you switch flavours often, 50ml bottles let you run three or four different ones at once without wasting half-empty liquid. If you've settled on one or two flavours you vape daily, 100ml works out as fewer bottles to buy and fewer nic shots to remember. Either way, the mixing maths is identical per shot, it just scales with the bottle. Seriously is one of the few brands we stock in both sizes, so the Seriously 50ml and Seriously 100ml shortfills are a good place to compare the same flavour across both bottle sizes before you decide.
How to Add a Nic Shot: the Maths, Worked Out
UK nic shots are almost always sold in 10ml bottles at 18mg strength. When you tip one into a nicotine-free shortfill, the nicotine gets diluted across the full volume of the finished bottle, not just the shot itself, which is the bit that trips people up. The standard fill gives you 3mg/ml, and if you want it stronger you pour a little liquid out first to make room for an extra shot. Here's how it works out for the combinations customers ask us about most:
| Shortfill size | Nic shots (10ml, 18mg) | Total volume | Final strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50ml (in 60ml bottle) | 1 shot | 60ml | 3mg/ml |
| 100ml (in 120ml bottle) | 2 shots | 120ml | 3mg/ml |
| 50ml, pour out 10ml first | 2 shots | 60ml | 6mg/ml |
| 100ml, pour out 20ml first | 4 shots | 120ml | 6mg/ml |
The pattern is simple once you see it: each 10ml shot at 18mg adds 180mg of nicotine to the bottle, and the final strength is just that total nicotine divided by the total finished volume. If you want a strength this table doesn't cover, work it out the same way, or ask us in-store and we'll do it for you. If 3mg or 6mg sounds low compared with what you're used to on a nic salt device, that's expected. Shortfills are freebase e-liquid, not nic salt, and freebase at a given mg reads as noticeably stronger on the throat than the same mg in a nic salt, which is exactly why the two get sold in such different strength ranges. Our nic salts vs freebase guide covers that difference properly if you're switching between the two.
VG/PG Ratio: Which Shortfills Suit Which Kit
Most shortfills are mixed high-VG, commonly 70VG/30PG or higher, because that's what suits the sub-ohm tanks and big-puff rechargeable pod kits people tend to buy them for. Higher VG means thicker liquid, bigger clouds and a smoother, less throat-hitty draw, which is why it pairs with kits that have adjustable airflow and can push more power through the coil. If your kit is a low-wattage, tight-draw pod system built for nic salts, a high-VG shortfill will likely wick too slowly and taste burnt, so match the liquid to the kit rather than the other way round. For the full breakdown of what 50/50 and 70/30 actually mean for flavour, throat hit and coil life, see our VG/PG ratio guide. Once you know your kit's sweet spot, VG/PG is listed on every product page, so it's worth checking on brands like Ohm Brew and Doozy Vape Co before you buy.
Shortfill Brands We Stock
We carry shortfills from a decent spread of UK brands rather than leaning on one or two names, so there's room to find a flavour house that suits your taste rather than settling for whatever's on the shelf. Ohm Brew, Doozy Vape Co and Zeus Juice cover the classic fruit and menthol territory that's been popular since long before the disposable ban. Donut King and Lancashire Creamery lean into dessert and bakery flavours for anyone who wants something sweeter than fruit. Kingston, Seriously and Moreish round out the everyday fruit-and-sweet middle ground, while Aisu, Imp Jar, Ohm Boy and Yeti add more of the ice-forward and candy styles that have grown since. Between them that's 536 bottles across 14 collections on the site, split by brand, size and flavour family so you're not scrolling through everything at once.
FAQ
How many nic shots do I need for a 50ml or 100ml shortfill?
One 18mg nic shot in a 50ml shortfill (in its 60ml bottle) gives 3mg/ml. Two shots in a 100ml shortfill (in its 120ml bottle) also give 3mg/ml, because the ratio of nicotine to total volume stays the same. Want it stronger? Pour a little liquid out first and add an extra shot, as shown in the table above.
Do I have to add a nic shot, or can I vape a shortfill at 0mg?
You can vape it straight at 0mg with no shot added at all. Plenty of customers who are cutting down, or who just enjoy the flavour without the nicotine, buy shortfills for exactly that reason. The bottle works either way; the nic shot is entirely optional.
Can I use shortfill e-liquid in any vape kit?
You can use it in any kit built for freebase e-liquid, which covers most sub-ohm tanks and rechargeable pod kits with adjustable airflow. It's not designed for sealed prefilled pod systems that only take their own manufacturer pods, and it's a different product entirely to nic salt bottles, which suit low-wattage MTL pod kits instead.
Are shortfills legal and TPD compliant in the UK?
Yes. The 0mg bottle and the separate nic shot are each individually compliant with UK e-liquid regulations, and mixing them yourself at home is the standard, legal way UK vapers have topped up nicotine in large bottles for years. Nothing about a shortfill falls foul of the disposable vape ban either, since it's bottled e-liquid for a refillable kit, not a single-use device.
What VG/PG ratio should I look for in a shortfill?
Check what your kit is built for before you buy. High-VG shortfills (70/30 and above) suit sub-ohm tanks and big-puff rechargeable pod kits with open airflow. If your kit is a tighter-draw, lower-wattage pod system, look for a 50/50 shortfill instead, or switch to nic salt bottles, which are formulated for exactly that style of kit.
If you're buying your first shortfill, start simple: pick a 50ml bottle in a flavour family you already know you like, add one 18mg nic shot for a straightforward 3mg mix, and see how it wicks in your kit before you commit to 100ml. Browse our shortfill collections by brand, including Kingston and Zeus Juice, all with free UK delivery.