How It’s Made
How 510 Thread Vape Cartridges Are Made
What is a 510-thread vape cartridge? What’s inside? And how does it all work? Here’s what you need to know about how cannabis is transformed into these popular carts.
Last updated November 3, 2025 | Published on February 11, 2025
If you’re looking for convenience and portability when it comes to cannabis consumption, it’s hard to beat vapes. Choose a vape cartridge, attach it to a vape battery and you’re ready to go. The battery heats an atomizer inside the cartridge to produce a vapour, which can then be inhaled.
Those cartridges, more commonly known as “vape carts,” are plastic or glass tubes that hold cannabis extract or concentrate. While there are many proprietary types on the market, 510-thread carts are among the most popular, as they’re compatible with the widely available 510-thread battery.
Keep reading to find out how your favourite cannabis strain becomes a 510-thread vape cart.
Step 1: Create the cannabis extract
The key ingredient in a vape cart is, of course, cannabis. The dried flower is processed into an extract or concentrate, in one of three formats.
- distillate: a refined or purified oil that contains high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD) but typically fewer minor cannabinoids or terpenes
- full-spectrum extract: typically produced from a single strain using techniques that preserve most of the original terpenes and cannabinoids (and therefore much of the strain’s flavour and aroma)
- live resin: preserves a lot of the plant’s natural terpenes, so it tends to taste and smell more like the original flower
Licensed Producers employ various extraction techniques to create their own unique concentrated formulas. The most common extraction methods use solvents like ethanol, hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide (CO2) in combination with heat and/or pressure to retrieve cannabinoids from plant material. Because high temperatures can lead to terpene loss, some Licensed Producers are careful to use low-heat methods to preserve as much of the terpene content as possible.
Some brands focus on a specific strain for their carts. Like the dried cannabis itself, the flavour and aroma of the extract or concentrate may vary slightly from batch to batch. Other brands use a blend of extracts and then add selected terpenes to produce a consistent flavour (more about that in the next step).
Terpenes are fragrant oils found in many types of plants, including cannabis. The chemical compounds they secrete give cannabis strains their unique aromas and flavours.
Step 2: Give it flavour and flow
If the cannabis has been stripped of most of its terpenes during the extraction process, they’re often added back to the mix later. These added terpenes can be naturally derived from cannabis or from other botanicals, and they add aromas and flavour to the vape cart.
Live resin carts are made with a multi-step process that isolates the terpenes and minor cannabinoids from fresh-frozen plants. Recombining the terpenes and minor cannabinoids with isolated THC and/or CBD creates live resin vape mixes that deliver the full-spectrum experience.
Botanical-derived terpenes are identical in composition to those found in cannabis.
Viscosity, or the flow of the extract in the cart, affects the vaping experience. When a vape oil is too thick, it can create clogs and other mechanical problems that make it hard to draw vapour. Too thin of a liquid can produce leaks and dilute the potency of the cannabis extract.
A pure extract without many terpenes may need a thinning agent — such as propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin — to produce the viscosity it needs to flow in the vape cart. As per Health Canada’s Cannabis Regulations, certain added ingredients, including vitamins (such as vitamin E acetate), minerals, nicotine, caffeine, sugars and sweeteners, are prohibited.
Step 3: Assemble and fill
Once the cannabis extract is ready, it’s time to assemble the vape cart components. While these can vary, the basic parts are the mouthpiece, the tank or chamber (to hold the liquid) and the heating element (also called an atomizer). The components must be robust enough to withstand heating.
Vape liquids sometimes need to be heated during filling to achieve a viscosity that can pass through an injection syringe and into the cartridge. Some Licensed Producers use filler machines that heat the oil just enough to make sure the cartridges are properly filled.
Step 4: Lots and lots of testing
Quality assurance is a key part in the production process of any cannabis format: every batch must be sent out for third-party testing and receive a Certificate of Analysis (COA). For 510 vape carts, testing is done on the base ingredients in the extract, as well as on the colour, viscosity, flavour and potency of the final product. Vape carts are also checked for the presence of pesticides, heavy metals and microbial contamination, such as E. coli. Some producers may go the extra step of having the vapour emissions tested as well.
The cartridge hardware itself must also be tested to ensure the componentry will work properly. Like any hardware or circuitry, vapes have the potential to malfunction. Refer to the FAQ or troubleshooting guide from the Licensed Producer if you’re having trouble.
Step 5: Package it up
Labels on 510 vape cart packages, like other cannabis formats, must include the THC symbol, brand name, THC and CBD content, health warning message, lot number, “packaged on” date, bar code and list of ingredients. The federal cannabis excise stamp must also be present to show the product is certified legal and the manufacturer has paid the duty on it (exemptions may apply for cannabis products with THC levels of less than 0.3%).
The 510 vape cartridges on the legal market right now are disposable, but some Licensed Producers are looking at ways to reduce waste while still adhering to federal safety requirements.
The “510” in the name comes from the battery’s five-millimetre length and the 10 threads (or grooves) that connect it and the cart.
Now that you have a clearer picture of how 510 vape carts are made, what’s next for the format?
Producers hope the industry can move toward more sustainable production, including manufacturing, packaging and the devices themselves. They’re also working on a wider range of extract options, including more full-spectrum carts created using butane, and solventless extraction, like live resin. Stay tuned for advanced hardware, too, with more customizable elements and smart technology.
