How Much Nicotine Is in a Disposable?

If you use disposable vapes, you’ve probably seen labels like:

• 50mg

• 5% nicotine

• 15,000 puffs

• 18mL capacity

But what do those numbers actually mean? And how does a disposable compare to cigarettes or open-system vaping?

This blog breaks it down clearly, so you can understand what you’re choosing and how much nicotine you may be using.

Smoking vs Vaping: The Key Difference Is Combustion

Cigarettes deliver nicotine by burning tobacco.

That burning process creates thousands of harmful chemicals in smoke and tar. Most smoking-related disease come from combustion, not nicotine itself.

Vaping delivers nicotine without burning tobacco.

That doesn’t make nicotine harmless - it’s still addictive-  but it does mean smoking and vaping involve very different exposure levels.

With that in mind, let’s talk about nicotine amounts.

A Familiar Baseline: Cigarettes

On average, the body absorbs about:

~1 to 1.5mg of nicotine per cigarette (amounts can vary per brand and per how deeply the user inhales)

That means:

• 1 cigarette ≈ 1–1.5mg absorbed

• 1 pack (20 cigarettes) ≈ 20–30mg absorbed total

This gives us a familiar reference point.

How Nicotine Is Measured in Vape Products

E-liquid is measured in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL).

So when you see:

• 10mg e-liquid → 10mg of nicotine per mL

• 50mg e-liquid → 50mg of nicotine per mL

To understand total nicotine, you multiply: Nicotine strength × liquid volume

Open Systems: Lower Strength, More Control

Open-system devices often use lower nicotine levels,  for example:

10mg/mL e-liquid in a 2mL pod

10mg × 2mL = 20mg total nicotine

That’s roughly about one pack worth of nicotine content in the entire 2mL pod. 

Open systems give users the ability to choose different strengths over time:

• 25mg (2.5%)

• 20mg (2%)

• 15mg (1.5%)                                    

• 10mg (1%)
  
• 5mg (.5%)
  

• 0mg (0%)

This makes open systems one of the most realistic paths for people who want to gradually reduce nicotine intake, one strength at a time. 

Disposables: High Strength + Large Capacity

Most modern disposables are sold at:

• 50mg/mL nicotine (also known as 5%)

• with very large liquid reservoirs

For example:

Pacha Mama:

50mg/mL x 20mL That equals: 1000mg of nicotine total content.

Put into perspective:

That's roughly 50 cigarette packs worth of nicotine content in one device.

Geek Bar Pulse X:

50mg/mL × 18mL  That equals: 900mg of nicotine total content.

That’s roughly 45 cigarette packs worth of nicotine content in one device.

Loon Maxx

50mg/mL x 6.5mL  That equals: 325mg of nicotine total content.

That's roughly 16.25 cigarette packs worth of nicotine content in one device.

This doesn’t mean someone absorbs all of that at once (absorption varies), but it does show how high the total nicotine ceiling can be.

Why This Matters for Disposable Users

Most people aren’t choosing disposables because they want more nicotine.

They choose them because they’re:

• Convenient

• Widely available

• High-performing

• Easy to use

If you’re using a disposable every few days, you may be consuming much more nicotine than you intended or realized, simply because the product is designed to deliver a high level continuously to keep you locked in. 

Open Systems Offer a Step-Down Path

If your goal is to eventually reduce nicotine, open systems make something possible that disposables do not:

Control: You can reduce strength slowly over time, at your own pace.

Many people find that switching from disposables to an open system helps them:

• Lower nicotine intake

• Reduce dependence

• Spend less money

• Cut down on waste

• Avoid being stuck at 50mg

• Quit vaping

The Bottom Line: Know What You’re Using

Disposables often contain far more total nicotine than most people realize, simply because they’re built for high strength and large capacity. Understanding what’s inside the product helps you make more informed, intentional choices.

If you’re comfortable with your current use, having the numbers is still valuable. And if you’ve been thinking about cutting back, open systems offer something disposables don’t: the ability to gradually step down over time.

Want Help Switching or Reducing?

If you have questions about choosing an open system, selecting a lower nicotine strength, or building a realistic step-down plan, our team is always happy to help.

One of the clearest ways to evaluate your own use is to think in terms of milliliters (mL) of e-liquid, not puff counts. For example, going through a 2mL pod is very different from finishing an 18mL disposable. Once you know roughly how many mL you use in a week, it becomes much easier to understand your nicotine intake and decide what you want your next step to be.

Now ask yourself- How much nicotine are you using and how much do you want to be using?