Alcohol units calculator
Enter the volume of a drink in millilitres, its strength as ABV and how many you have per week. The result shows UK units, grams of pure alcohol, US standard drinks and your weekly total compared with the UK guideline of 14 units.
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How to use it
- Enter the volume of one drink in millilitres (a UK pint is 568 mL, a standard glass of wine 175 mL, a single spirit measure 25 mL).
- Enter the alcohol by volume (ABV) printed on the label.
- Enter how many of that drink you have in a week.
How it works
- Pure alcohol in millilitres is volume × ABV ÷ 100.
- UK units are that value divided by 10, because one unit is 10 mL.
- Grams are millilitres of alcohol times 0.789.
- US standard drinks are grams divided by 14.
- The weekly figure is units times the number of drinks, shown also as a share of 14 units.
Worked example
Seven pints a week at 5 percent: each pint holds 28.4 mL of alcohol, which is 2.84 units or 22.4 g, and 1.60 US standard drinks. Seven pints are 19.88 units, about 142 percent of 14 units.
Notes
- The tool covers one kind of drink at a time. Add the weekly units for each drink you have to get a full total.
- ABV on labels is rounded, and real pours vary, so treat the result as an estimate.
Frequently asked questions
How many units are in a pint of beer?
Units equal volume in millilitres times ABV in percent, divided by 1,000. A UK pint is 568 mL, so a pint at 5 percent is 568 × 5 ÷ 1,000 = 2.84 units. A stronger beer has more units even at the same volume.
How much is one UK unit?
A UK unit is 10 mL of pure alcohol, which weighs about 8 g. This calculator finds the weight using the density of ethanol, 0.789 g per mL, so it shows 7.89 g for one unit.
What is a US standard drink?
In the United States a standard drink holds 14 g of pure alcohol. A 12 US fl oz (355 mL) beer at 5 percent is about one standard drink, as the calculator shows.
What is the 14-unit guideline?
UK guidance from the Chief Medical Officers suggests that adults who drink regularly should keep to no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days. This tool only compares your number with that figure. It is not medical advice, and for questions about your own drinking talk to a doctor.