What is Wicking Made Of?

One of the greatest things about vaping – or perhaps one of the most annoying things, depending on your point of view – is the fact that even the tiniest change in your equipment can have a profound effect on the performance, flavour and vapour production of your device. Nowhere is that more evident than with the humble coil wick.

You’re probably already aware that every vape coil features a wick. It is this wicking material that absorbs the e-liquid from your tank or pod that is then vaporised when you fire your device and heat the coil.

Vape coil wicking can be made from a variety of materials and each of those materials imparts its own characteristics to your vaping. It is worth familiarising yourself with the available wicking options, if you wish to tailor your vaping experience.

Cotton

Cotton is the most common wicking material. If you use a sub-ohm tank with a replaceable coil, the coil’s wick is almost certainly organic cotton – and if you build your own coils, there’s a good chance that you use cotton for that as well.

Cotton wicks aren’t perfect, but they present the best possible balance of flavour quality and wicking performance for most applications. Cotton wicks transport e-liquid efficiently for high-temperature vaping, and generally delivers pure and accurate flavour. Although cotton is the best overall wick material for most vaping set-ups, it does have one minor drawback in that it can burn at high temperatures.

If you tend to chain vape at high wattages, or you accidentally forget to refill your tank, you will likely burn the cotton, ruining the flavour of the coil forever. If you’re careful, though, cotton is the ideal wick material for most vapers.

Flax and Hemp

Manufacturers have experimented with using natural fibres other than cotton and in combination with cotton for their wicks. Flax and hemp are the most common alternative natural fibres used. Wool pulp has also been tried Most commonly, the manufacturers blend alternative fibres with cotton to produce a vaping experience that still feels familiar.

Wicking featuring flax and hemp does not materially impact flavour but can make wicking less likely to burn.

Silica

Silica wicking has been utilised for low-temperature vaping applications. It's principle advantage is that it does not easily burn. But silica does not efficiently absorb e-liquid and so isn't suitable for low-resistance coils. At higher power settings, silica can’t keep up with e-liquid demand. Silica wicks are less common than they used to be as this stiff and fibrous material is harder to work with and delivers muted flavour.

Ceramic

Vape wicking may incorporate a porous ceramic matrix, either as the primary wicking material or as a structural reinforcement around a traditional wick.

Ceramic wicking gained attention for its clean flavour, longevity, and thermal stability, but it also generated debate regarding airflow, durability, and inhalation safety. Understanding its characteristics helps explain why ceramic wicks occupy a niche but persistent place in coil design.

Cermaic wicks deliver pure flavour and reduce burnt hits. They can be heated to high temperatures and are longer-lasting than conventional vape coils. However, there are downsides to ceramic wicking.

There has been much debate around whether ceramic coils can shed microscopic particles.
Modern manufacturers sinter ceramic at very high temperatures to prevent this, but early designs raised concerns. Most reputable brands have shifted to non-friable, medical-grade ceramics, but user perceptions vary.

Ceramic is rigid, not flexible. Once manufactured, the pore size and flow characteristics are fixed. It cannot contour to the coil like cotton does. This rigidity can affect how well the wick handles different viscosities.

Rayon

Rayon isn’t used as a wick material for pre-built coils but is popular with vapers that utilise rebuildable atomisers (RBAs).

Rayon is often sold under brand names including Cellucotton. It is a regenerated cellulose fibre that is favoured because of its unusually strong capillary action and clean flavour delivery. Although it looks similar to cotton, it behaves very differently inside an RBA, and many experienced users swear by it for its consistency and saturation. It is less liable to burn than cotton and lasts longer.

But there are downsides to rayon too. It can shrink when wet which means that if too little fibre is used, this shrinkage can cause poor coil contact. If too much is used, it can feel overly dense. Rayon absorbs e-liquid very quickly which can mean it floods the coil.