What is a shortfill e-liquid?

You've probably seen them on the shelf – a 60ml bottle with only 50ml of liquid inside. That gap at the top isn't a mistake. It's the whole point.

A shortfill is a large-format e-liquid sold with zero nicotine and deliberately under-filled, leaving room for you to add a nicotine shot. The result: more liquid, more flavour variety, and a lower cost per ml than buying multiple 10ml bottles.

What is a shortfill e-liquid?

A shortfill e-liquid is a bottle of vape juice that contains no nicotine and is filled to less than its maximum capacity. The most common format is 50ml of liquid in a 60ml bottle – the empty 10ml is reserved for a nicotine shot.

The reason shortfills exist is regulation. Under the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), any e-liquid containing nicotine can only be sold in containers of 10ml or less. Nicotine-free liquids aren't subject to that restriction, so manufacturers sell larger volumes without nicotine – and let you add it yourself.

The format is almost always high-VG: 70/30 or 80/20 VG/PG ratios are standard, making them a good fit for sub-ohm kits and direct-lung vaping.

How does shortfill e-liquid work?

The process is straightforward:

1. Buy a shortfill (50ml, 0mg, in a 60ml bottle)
2. Buy a nicotine shot – typically a 10ml bottle at 18mg/ml
3. Pour the nic shot into the shortfill bottle
4. Cap it, shake it, leave it for a few minutes
5. You now have 60ml of e-liquid at 3mg/ml

That's the maths: 10ml of 18mg/ml nicotine diluted into 60ml total gives you 3mg/ml. Most nic shot packaging confirms this. If you want to double-check your own combination, an e-liquid calculator does the work – enter the shortfill size, nic shot strength and volume, and it tells you the final nicotine concentration.

Larger shortfills work the same way. A 100ml bottle (in a 120ml bottle) takes two nic shots to reach 3mg/ml.

What is the difference between e-liquid and shortfill?

Standard e-liquids come ready to vape. Shortfills need a nic shot added if you want nicotine. The trade-off is volume and price – shortfills give you significantly more liquid for the money.

Can you vape a shortfill without nicotine?

Yes. A shortfill is just e-liquid with 0mg nicotine. If you're not after nicotine, you can use it straight out of the bottle – no nic shot needed, no mixing required.

The bottle being 50ml in a 60ml container doesn't cause any problems. Some people don't add a nic shot at all and simply use the shortfill as a 0mg liquid. It works fine.

What is 50/50 vape juice?

50/50 refers to the ratio of Propylene Glycol (PG) to Vegetable Glycerine (VG) – in this case, equal parts of each.

It's a balanced mix: enough PG for a decent throat hit and clear flavour delivery, enough VG for visible vapour without being too thick for smaller devices. A 50/50 liquid works in most vape kits – pod systems, pen-style vapes, and basic sub-ohm devices.

Shortfills are rarely 50/50. They tend to run 70/30 VG/PG or higher, designed for cloud production and direct-lung vaping. If you're specifically after a 50/50 liquid, you're typically looking at 10ml bottles – available in standard nicotine strengths or 0mg.

If you want to explore a range that covers shortfills, nic shots and salt liquids, the e-liquid selection at DoctorVape has a broad choice across nicotine strengths and VG/PG ratios.