PG VG ratio: choosing your DIY base liquid
Two clear liquids make up the foundation of every home recipe, and yet they have almost nothing in common once they reach your mouth. One carries the flavour and bites at the throat, the other thickens the vapour and rounds everything off. Choosing the proportion between them, the PG VG ratio, decides the character of your future mix long before a single drop of concentrate goes in.
What the PG VG ratio actually is
The PG VG ratio is the proportion of propylene glycol to vegetable glycerine in a base liquid for e-liquid. It is written as two numbers adding up to a hundred, for example 50/50 or 70/30, and in British listings the first figure is normally the PG.
Those two molecules form the neutral liquid into which the concentrate and, if you use it, the nicotine are then diluted. They do not share a texture and they do not behave the same way on a heated coil.
Setting the ratio therefore adjusts three things in a single move: the strength of the throat sensation, the volume of visible vapour, and how faithfully the flavour comes through. Everything else in the recipe is built on top of that decision.
What each component brings
Before comparing proportions it helps to pin down what each liquid does. PG and VG pull the mix in opposite directions, and that tug of war is exactly what you are dialling in.
Propylene glycol is the flavour carrier of the pair. PG is thin, close to water in consistency. It carries flavour molecules efficiently and sharpens the throat hit, that contracting sensation on the inhale. Its fluidity also makes life easier for the cotton in higher resistance coils, which wick more slowly. The trade off is that it produces comparatively little visible vapour.
Vegetable glycerine plays the opposite role, the vapour maker. VG is thick and faintly sweet. It generates dense vapour and softens the whole mix, at the cost of muting the flavour slightly and flattening the throat sensation. Its viscosity demands lower resistance coils and enough power to vaporise properly. Too much VG on a small device gums up the cotton quickly.
Neither liquid is a flavouring in itself, and neither is optional. A base made only of one or the other exists but is rarely pleasant to use, which is why the interesting question is never PG or VG but how much of each.
The reference ratios and what they suit
Three proportions come up again and again in home recipes and in British shortfill listings. Each matches a style of vaping, which makes the first choice straightforward.
| PG VG ratio | Draw style | Throat hit | Vapour | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70/30 | Tight mouth to lung | Pronounced | Moderate | Pods and compact tanks, higher strengths |
| 50/50 | All rounder | Balanced | Medium | First recipes, mixed use |
| 30/70 | Airy direct lung | Soft | Abundant | Sub ohm builds, big vapour |
The 50/50 remains the safest starting point. It suits the majority of tanks and pods and it forgives approximation. The 70/30 favours flavour and throat sensation on a tight draw. The 30/70, and the heavier VG blends beyond it, belong to low resistance builds that can handle a thick liquid.
One British detail is worth noting. Because refillable tanks sold here are capped at 2 ml and nicotine containing e-liquid at 20 mg/ml in 10 ml bottles, mouth to lung hardware is very well represented on the shelves, which is why PG heavy and balanced bases stay easy to find rather than becoming a niche.
Choosing a ratio to match your hardware
The hardware has the final word. A base that does not match the coil gives either a burnt note or liquid coming back up the airway, however good the recipe is on paper.
On a coil above 1 ohm, fitted to a pod or a compact tank, a PG rich base makes sense: it wicks into the cotton without drowning it. Below 0.5 ohm, on a sub ohm atomiser, glycerine becomes the priority, both to hold up to the heat and to reduce leaking.
Between the two, the 50/50 bridges the gap and is the reason it dominates British beginner listings. This reasoning fits into the wider preparation sequence set out in our complete method for making your own e-liquid.
What the rest of the recipe does to your PG VG ratio
Here is the point most guides skip. In a home recipe the base is not the only contributor to the finished PG VG ratio. The flavour concentrate is nearly always diluted in PG, and nicotine shots are commonly sold at 50/50 or as pure PG.
Concretely, a base bought as 50/50 ends up richer in PG once the concentrate and the shots have gone in. On a recipe at 12 percent flavour with 30 percent shots, the real ratio slides several points towards PG without anything on the label changing.
Two practical consequences follow. Someone chasing a thick, vapour heavy result should start from a base a few points richer in VG than the outcome they want. And a VG heavy profile generally takes longer to come together, because glycerine binds to the flavour more slowly.
The size of that slide depends directly on how much nicotine you add, which is worked out in our guide to dosing a nicotine shot. Anticipating it is what stops the first draw being a disappointment.
Adjusting a base you already own
You do not need to buy a new bottle every time the ratio is wrong. Both liquids are sold separately in Britain as diluents, precisely so that a base can be corrected.
Adding pure VG to a 50/50 thickens it and moves it towards the vapour end, while adding pure PG does the reverse. The one thing to keep in mind is that any neutral liquid you add dilutes the flavour concentration across the whole bottle, so the flavour percentage has to be recalculated.
Both diluents should be stored like everything else on the mixing bench, capped, upright and away from light and heat, and gloves stay on whenever nicotine is anywhere on the table.
Frequently asked questions
Which ratio should I choose for a first DIY mix?
A 50/50 is the best compromise for a first bottle. It works on almost any hardware, needs little power, and is easy to correct in either direction if the result does not suit you.
Does a 100 percent VG base exist, and what is it for?
Yes, it is sold for sub ohm builds aimed at large vapour production. It is awkward to work with on its own, since the viscosity complicates both mixing and wicking, so it is usually cut with some PG.
Does the PG VG ratio change how strong the nicotine feels?
Indirectly. Because PG sharpens the throat sensation, the same figure feels more biting on a PG rich base than on a VG heavy one, which comes across as softer at an identical strength.
Can a bad ratio damage a coil?
A base too thick for a high resistance coil will starve or burn the cotton early. A base too thin on a sub ohm build tends to leak. The ratio should always be chosen with the resistance in mind.
Do shortfills come in a fixed ratio?
No, but most British shortfills sit at 70/30 or 80/20 in favour of VG, because the format was built around sub ohm use. The listing states it, and the nicotine shot you add will pull the finished bottle back towards PG.
What to remember about the PG VG ratio
The PG VG ratio is the first setting in a home recipe, the one that decides throat hit, vapour and flavour delivery before any concentrate is chosen. Matching it to your hardware, then anticipating the slide caused by the concentrate and the shots, turns a plain base into a dependable foundation.
Everything downstream depends on that choice, from the coil you fit to how long the bottle needs before it tastes right. Get the ratio settled first, write it down alongside the recipe, and the rest of home mixing becomes a series of small adjustments rather than a series of guesses.
If you are unsure where to begin, the honest answer is to buy one bottle of balanced base and one of each diluent, then correct from there over a few batches. Two or three attempts teach more about the behaviour of a PG VG ratio on your own hardware than any table can, including this one.
Editorial content for adult readers only. Nicotine is an addictive substance and vaping products are not for sale to under-18s in the United Kingdom. This article is not a buying recommendation.
