For vapers who want to make their own e-liquids, our DIY vape calculator tells you exactly how much of each ingredient to use, in millilitres and in grams, so you get the perfect blend every time.
Whether you’re customising your base, adjusting your VG/PG ratio, or experimenting with nicotine shots and flavour concentrates, the Riot Labs calculator does the maths so you can get on with mixing.
How to Use the Riot E-Liquid Calculator
- Enter the batch size you want to make in ml.
- Choose your base ratio (VG/PG). 70VG/30PG is the most popular all-rounder.
- Enter your target nicotine strength and the strength of your nic shots. Tick Whole shots only if you don't want to measure part of a shot.
- Add your flavour concentrates as a percentage. Most recipes sit between 15% and 20% in total.
- Your recipe updates as you type, in ml and grams. Copy it, share it, or add the nic shots you need straight to your basket.
DIY E-Liquid Calculator Riot Labs
Set your batch size, base ratio, nicotine and up to 4 flavours. Your recipe updates as you type, in millilitres and grams.
1. Your Mix
2. Nicotine Shots
3. Flavour Concentrates
4. Diluent (optional)
5. Save or Start Again
Your Recipe
| Ingredient | ml | grams | % |
|---|
Tips for Using the Vape Mix Calculator
- Base ratio: VG gives thicker clouds and a smoother vape, while PG carries more flavour and gives more throat hit. 70VG/30PG is the most popular all-rounder. 50/50 suits mouth-to-lung (MTL) pod kits.
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Nicotine strength: this runs from 0 to 20mg/ml. As a guide:
- 0–6mg/ml for direct-to-lung (DTL) and sub-ohm tanks
- 10–20mg/ml for mouth-to-lung (MTL) and pod systems
- Flavour: most recipes use 15–20% in total. Strong flavours, especially menthol and ice, often need only 10–12%. Always check the concentrate’s own recommended amount.
- Diluent: we don't usually recommend it, but we also like breaking the rules. A few percent of distilled water can thin a very high-VG mix.
- Weigh, don’t guess: VG is thick and sticks to syringes and measuring cylinders. Mixing by weight on a 0.01g kitchen scale with the grams column is quicker and much more accurate.
Mixing Your Vape Juice: A Worked Example
Here's a simple 50ml, 0mg batch at 70VG/30PG with 20% flavour:
The flavour counts towards your PG, so 10ml of flavour plus 5ml of PG makes the 30% PG side. Want nicotine in it? Put your batch size and strength into the calculator above. It works out how many nic shots to add and reduces the PG and VG to make room.
To Steep or Not to Steep?
Steeping means letting your DIY vape juice rest so the flavours and ingredients blend properly. You don't have to, and it comes down to personal preference. If you do steep, keep the bottle in a cool, dark place and shake it regularly. Leave it anywhere from a few days to 4 weeks. Fruits and menthols are usually ready almost straight away, while desserts, custards and tobaccos benefit most from steeping.
Mix Safely
- Nicotine is toxic and highly addictive. Wear nitrile gloves when handling nic shots and wash any spills off your skin straight away.
- Keep nicotine, concentrates and finished e-liquid away from children and pets. Store them in child-resistant bottles, somewhere they can’t reach.
- Label every bottle with its strength, the date you mixed it and what’s in it.
- Store liquids in a cool, dark place, away from food and drink.
- If nicotine is swallowed, get medical advice straight away (NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency) and take the bottle with you.
- Our products are for adults aged 18 and over only.
Riot’s Vape Calculator Glossary
| PG | Propylene glycol. A thin base liquid that carries flavour and nicotine and gives the vape its throat hit. |
| VG | Vegetable glycerine. A thick, slightly sweet base liquid that produces vapour and gives a smoother vape. |
| VG/PG ratio | How much of the base is VG and how much is PG. We write the VG first, so 70VG/30PG means 70% VG and 30% PG. |
| Nicotine | A highly addictive substance found in tobacco. In the UK, nicotine-containing e-liquid can be no stronger than 20mg/ml and can only be sold in bottles of up to 10ml. That’s why nicotine for DIY and shortfills comes in 10ml nic shots. |
| mg/ml | How nicotine strength is measured: milligrams of nicotine in each millilitre of liquid. A 12mg/ml e-liquid has 12mg of nicotine in every ml. |
| Nic shot | A 10ml bottle of unflavoured nicotine (usually 18 or 20mg/ml) that you add to a shortfill or DIY mix to bring it up to the strength you want. |
| Shortfill | A nicotine-free e-liquid in a bottle with room left for nic shots, e.g. 100ml of liquid in a 120ml bottle. |
| Concentrate | Strong flavouring made for mixing. It’s never vaped on its own. |
| Steeping | Letting a fresh mix rest so the flavours blend and develop. |
DIY E-Liquid FAQs
How many nic shots do I need for 3mg?
For a 100ml DIY batch at 3mg/ml using 18mg/ml shots, you need 16.67ml of nicotine, so just under 2 shots. With a shortfill it's simpler: two 18mg shots in a 100ml shortfill make 120ml at 3mg/ml, and one 18mg shot in a 50ml shortfill makes 60ml at 3mg/ml.
What VG/PG ratio should I use?
70VG/30PG is the most popular choice for sub-ohm and DTL kits. 50/50 works best in MTL pod kits with higher-resistance coils, because thick high-VG liquid can struggle to soak into the coil.
Should I mix by weight or by volume?
Weight is more accurate, especially with thick VG. Tare your bottle on a scale and add each ingredient using the grams column. Volume in ml works fine too, if you use syringes or measuring cylinders.
Can I make e-liquid stronger than 20mg/ml?
No. 20mg/ml is the legal maximum for nicotine e-liquid in the UK, and nic shots are no stronger than that, so your finished mix will always be at or below the strength of your shots.
How long does DIY e-liquid last?
Stored in a cool, dark place with the cap on, most DIY mixes last 1–2 years. If the colour or taste changes noticeably, make a fresh batch.
