Distillate cartridges hold a refined cannabis extract. The oil carries one cannabinoid at high strength, in the 70 percent to 95 percent range by weight. Makers add terpenes back for flavor and to thin the oil so it reaches the coil. In the US, CBD distillate carts sit outside FDA rules for food and dietary supplements unless the product is an approved drug.
How distillate is made
Crude extract goes into a short-path or wiped-film still. Heat plus vacuum lowers boiling points. Cannabinoids vaporize between 140 C and 200 C. The vapor condenses into fractions. Heads and tails carry waxes, pigments, and solvent residue. The middle fraction is the distillate.
What Are Distillate Carts? A CBD Vape Cartridge Guide
Decarboxylation comes first for flower inputs. Heat converts CBDA to CBD and THCA to THC. Distillate is already active. It needs no more decarb.
Distillate compared with full-spectrum oil
- Distillate: 1 to 3 cannabinoids, 80 to 95 percent potency, little taste without added terpenes.
- Full-spectrum or broad-spectrum oil: many cannabinoids plus terpenes, 40 to 70 percent potency.
- Isolate: one cannabinoid at 99 percent or higher, no terpenes.
Hardware and settings
Most carts use 510 thread, 1.2 to 2.0 ohm coils, and a ceramic or cotton wick. Distillate is thick. It needs 2.5 V to 3.8 V and a preheat cycle. High wattage burns the terpenes and scorches the wick. A 1 gram cart holds about 1,000 mg of oil.
Terpene content changes viscosity. More terpenes means thinner oil and more leak risk. Carts with added terpenes at 5 to 10 percent can leak at room temperature.
Reading a lab report
- Potency: CBD, THC, and minor cannabinoids in mg/g.
- Residual solvents: butane, propane, ethanol, reported in ppm.
- Pesticides: the full list of tested compounds.
- Heavy metals: lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury.
- Microbials and mycotoxins.
- Batch number that matches the package label.
Labs differ in limits. State cannabis programs set action limits and require tests. CBD sold online has no federal testing mandate, so a certificate of analysis is a seller choice, not a legal duty.
Risks
In 2019 and 2020, CDC linked an outbreak of lung injury to vaping THC products. As of February 18, 2020, CDC reported 2,807 hospitalized cases and 68 deaths. Vitamin E acetate appeared in 51 of 51 lung fluid samples from patients in one CDC lab study. Vitamin E acetate is a thickener. It does not belong in a cart.
Distillate alone does not make a cart safe. Contaminants come from the oil, the terpenes, and the hardware.
Storage
Keep carts at 15 C to 25 C, upright, away from light. Heat thins the oil. Cold makes it too thick to wick. A cart stored at 30 C or higher can leak.