How many calories are in a vape? The label-law maths
How many calories are in a vape: 2, 10 and 30 mL of e-liquid worked from PubChem densities and the EU food-label factor, and why inhaled is not eaten.
How many calories are in a vape comes down to its vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG). On this desk’s arithmetic, a 2 mL tank of pure VG works out at about 6 to 11 kcal and a 10 mL bottle at 30 to 55 kcal, by energy figure. Those are food-label numbers for liquid eaten, not inhaled.
Evergreen: this desk read these sources on 16 October 2026. No vape was measured here; every figure below is a sum.
How many calories are in a vape, per mL?
Energy factors are per gram and e-liquid is sold per millilitre, so density converts. PubChem gives glycerol 1.2613 g/cu cm at 20 C and propylene glycol 1.0361.
Glycerin then has two energy figures. The International Food Information Council, in a 28 April 2020 article, puts it at 4.32 calories per gram. Annex XIV of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, read in its UK-retained text on legislation.gov.uk, sets polyols at 10 kJ/g, 2.4 kcal/g. So 1 mL of VG is 5.45 kcal (1.2613 x 4.32) or 3.03 kcal (1.2613 x 2.4). PG’s about 4 kcal/g is an unsourced retailer figure (Myster).
| Liquid | Energy figure | 2 mL | 10 mL | 30 mL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pure VG | 4.32 kcal/g (IFIC) | 10.9 | 54.5 | 163.5 |
| Pure VG | 2.4 kcal/g (Annex XIV) | 6.1 | 30.3 | 90.8 |
| Pure PG | 4 kcal/g (retailer) | 8.3 | 41.4 | 124.3 |
| 70/30 VG/PG | 4.32 and 4 | 10.1 | 50.6 | 151.7 |
| 50/50 VG/PG | 4.32 and 4 | 9.6 | 48.0 | 143.9 |
Mixes are volume ratios; nicotine, flavourings and mixing shrinkage are ignored.
Why does label law give glycerin a lower number?
Annex I defines polyols as “alcohols containing more than two hydroxyl groups”. Glycerol, propane-1,2,3-triol, has three, so it takes the polyol factor rather than carbohydrate’s 4 kcal/g. PG, propane-1,2-diol, has two: it fails that definition, and the Annex XIV list carries no line for it. Neither annex mentions e-liquid; the 2.4 row is the label factor applied hypothetically.
Do vape calories count when inhaled?
These factors describe food that is eaten; IFIC says glycerin that is consumed is completely absorbed in the small intestine. No source this desk read measures what inhaled VG or PG yields as energy, so the table counts the tank, not what reaches you. Swallowed liquid is a poisoning question, not a nutrition one.
FAQ
How many calories are in a vape puff?
It depends on how much liquid a puff uses, and no source this desk read measured that. Myster, a US retailer, assumes about 100 puffs per mL and about 5 calories per mL, so 0.05 a puff. Put pure glycerin at the 2.4 kcal/g label factor through the same 100-puff assumption and a puff works out at about 0.03 kcal.
Does e-liquid contain calories?
As a liquid, yes. Glycerin carries 4.32 kcal/g on IFIC’s figure and 2.4 kcal/g under the EU food-label polyol factor; propylene glycol gets about 4 kcal/g from one US retailer (Myster) but has no line in Annex XIV. No source read here says whether they count when inhaled.
Does vaping contribute to weight gain?
Nothing this desk read answers that. The table shows a 10 mL bottle holds roughly 30 to 55 kcal as liquid, but those are factors for food that is eaten, not aerosol that is breathed in. This post makes no appetite or metabolism claim.
Related: what is in a vape and the same volume maths for nicotine. Calories are the least of it: a nicotine vape delivers nicotine, an addictive drug, and nothing here is a reason to start.