Guide

Understanding snus strength: nicotine content in mg/g and the levels

One can says “Strong”, the next “Extra Strong”, a third just a number. Three brands, three systems, and none of it can be compared.

How strong a pouch really is isn't decided by its name but by its concentration: how much nicotine its contents hold. There is a unit for this that means the same for every brand — milligrams per gram, mg/g for short.

Alongside it there is a strength level that classifies more roughly. The two complement each other, and they answer different questions.

mg/g — the number that matters

mg/g means milligrams of nicotine per gram. It is a concentration figure: it tells you how much nicotine is in one gram of the pouch contents.

The advantage lies in comparison. Two products with the same number are equally concentrated — regardless of which brand is on the can, how the pouch is cut and how many of them are in the can. The number carries over between brands, and no other figure on the can does that.

This figure belongs to nicotine pouches. Nicotine-free pouches and energy pouches don't carry it.

What to go by when switching

If you're used to one product and want to try something else, mg/g is the one value that means the same everywhere. Remember it, and with any other brand you'll see right away which products sit in the same range — and whether the brand covers that range at all. Some only do so in a narrow band.

That doesn't work via the product name. What one brand sells as its strong line sits in the middle range at the next — more on that shortly.

What the figure doesn't tell you

mg/g describes a concentration, not an amount. How much nicotine a can holds in total also depends on the fill weight and the number of pouches — and both vary between brands and lines.

That's why two cans can't be compared by their weight, nor by their pouch count. Both figures are listed for each product, but only mg/g tells you about strength.

The strength levels

In addition, nicotine pouches are sorted into levels. For the Czech Republic we carry products with up to 12 mg of nicotine per gram, in two levels:

Mild level
Regular level

A product called “Strong” doesn't automatically end up in the Strong level.

What the level does — and what it doesn't

It gives a rough classification. That's handy when you're not searching to the decimal point but want to know roughly where a product sits. One page per level, and from there you can narrow things down further by flavor and format.

What it doesn't do: the fine comparison. Within a level, products differ in their mg/g value, sometimes considerably. If you want precision, what counts is the number on the individual product, not the level it's in.

How the levels are distributed

Both levels are stocked, the Mild level considerably more than the Regular level. How many products are currently in which level is shown on the level pages themselves — that changes with our range.

Why “Strong” tells you nothing reliable

Cans carry words like “Strong”, “Extra Strong”, “Ultra”, “Medium” or “Light”. These are product names, not measurements. Every manufacturer assigns them by its own standard, and those standards are far apart.

How far, you can see right here in our shop: products with “Strong” in their name are in both levels, in the Mild level as well as in the Regular level.

So if you switch from one brand to another and go by the word on the can, you quickly end up somewhere other than expected. The same applies to numbers in the product name — “#3” or a digit after the line name is part of the manufacturer's naming and doesn't carry over between brands.

“Slim” and “Mini” don't say anything about strength either

The format describes the cut of the pouch, not its nicotine content. A product in the Regular level can come in the Mini format, a mild one in the Slim format. Both figures are listed independently of each other for each product.

And “Light”, “Medium”, “Original”?

Same picture. “Light” and “Medium” are line names, not classifications. In our shop, “Original” isn't a strength figure at all but a flavor: products without added flavoring.

Regular level and Regular format

Two different things share the same name, and they're mixed up all the time.

Regular level is a strength — the upper of the two. Regular format is a pouch size — wider and shorter than Slim. A product can be both, one of the two, or neither.

To keep it unambiguous, strength always comes with the word “level”. Wherever it just says “Regular”, the format is meant.

Nicotine content by brand: what manufacturers do differently

Nicotine content is searched for a lot — usually together with a brand name. Understandable, because every brand goes about it differently.

Some cover several levels with one continuous line and tell their products apart only by a number in the name. Others run separate lines with their own names for different strength ranges. Others again stay in one range and only vary the flavor.

Which levels a brand carries you can see on its brand page — there you can filter by level, and every product shows its mg/g value.

How to put two brands side by side

Take the mg/g value of your usual product. Open the other brand's page and set the same flavor and the same format. Sort what's left by the number.

That the products have completely different names is normal and no sign that they differ. The name belongs to the brand, the number belongs to the product.

Why a brand's lines differ

Within a brand, the lines often have their own names, and they rarely sit in the same strength range. One line stays in the Mild level, a second reaches into the Regular level, and sometimes there is a third that differs only in flavor.

So when switching within a brand, it pays to look the same way as when switching between brands: first at mg/g, then at the name. Two products sharing a line doesn't mean they're equally strong.

Finding your way if you're new to nicotine pouches

If you're new to nicotine pouches, you'll find products with less nicotine in the Mild and Regular levels. Both level pages are well stocked, across flavors and many brands.

Within a level, it pays to look at mg/g: even in the Mild level, the products aren't all on a par. The number is shown for each one.

Otherwise the same applies as everywhere in our shop — flavor and format are independent of strength, so you don't have to choose between “mild” and “what I like”.

Flavor and format stay unaffected

Strength is one figure among several, and it doesn't determine the others. The widely stocked flavors — mint, fruit, berry, citrus — can be found in both levels.

The narrower flavors look different. Liquorice, coffee and spice, for example, are mostly in the Mild level. The formats shift too: Mini appears almost only in the Mild level.

So if the flavor matters more to you than the exact level, choose it first and the level afterwards. The other way round, you're more likely to end up with an empty selection.

How to use both figures together

From level to product. Open one of the level pages and narrow down by flavor and format there. The classification stays constant, everything else you can try out.

From product to brand. Note the mg/g value of a product you know and look for it on other brand pages. The more precise route, especially when switching.

From brand to level. Filter by level on the brand page — that way you see at a glance which ranges the brand covers at all.

Not every combination has results. If the selection stays empty, take a filter out again — usually the format, because it says the least about a product's character.

What the product page shows

Nicotine pouches show both figures: the nicotine content in mg/g and the level. On top of that come format and flavor, the number of pouches in the can and the fill weight.

To compare strength you need exactly one of these — mg/g. The others tell you how the pouch is cut, what it tastes like and how long a can lasts, but nothing about the concentration.

If the selection stays empty

Setting four filters at once quickly leads nowhere — especially when a sparsely stocked flavor meets the Regular level. That's not down to the search; the combination just doesn't exist right now.

The quickest way back: remove a filter, starting with the one that matters least to you. Usually that is the format. If you remove the level filter entirely, you see the flavor across the whole scale and can compare the number on each product yourself.

Three misconceptions

“More pouches in the can means stronger.” No. The pouch count says nothing about the concentration. Two cans with the same number of pouches can be far apart.

“Slim is the mild version.” Not that either. The format describes the cut. Slim comes in products from both levels.

“Same brand means same strength.” Especially with brands that have several lines, the products are often far apart. The level is given for the individual product, not for the brand.

In short

Two figures, two jobs. The level gives a rough classification and is good for browsing — one page per level. mg/g is the number for precise comparison and the only thing that carries over between brands.

What's on the can doesn't help here. “Strong”, “Ultra” or a digit after the name are the manufacturer's labels, not a measure. The format doesn't say anything about strength either.

And if you're just starting out: the Mild and Regular levels carry products with less nicotine, across flavors.

Frequently asked questions

What does mg/g mean?

Milligrams of nicotine per gram. A concentration figure that can be compared across brands.

Why don't you list values per pouch?

Because they depend on the fill weight and the number of pouches and therefore can't be compared across brands.

Where does the strength level come from?

It is listed for each product — regardless of what the brand calls it.

Is “Strong” the same as the Strong level?

Not necessarily. In our range, products with “Strong” in their name fall into both levels.

What is the difference between the Regular level and the Regular format?

The Regular level is a strength, the Regular format is a pouch size.

Do nicotine-free pouches have a level?

No. Level and mg/g are given for nicotine pouches.

Does the format say anything about strength?

No. Format and strength are listed independently of each other for each product.

Which level has the most products?

That changes with our range. You can see the current selection on the level pages.

How do I find something comparable from another brand?

By mg/g, not by the name on the can.

What does a number like “#3” in the product name mean?

It is part of the manufacturer's naming. It can't be compared across brands.

Can I sort by strength within a level?

The level page shows the mg/g value for every product, so you can compare by that.

Understanding snus strength: nicotine content in mg/g and the levels