Alcohol units and standard drinks calculator
Enter the drink volume, strength and count to see the pure alcohol it contains against the UK weekly guideline.
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How to use it
- Enter drink volume, alcohol by volume (abv) and number of drinks.
- The result appears straight away and updates as you edit.
- Copy the result, or copy a link that keeps the same values to share it.
How it is calculated
UK units = volume (mL) × ABV ÷ 1000 × count, where one unit is 10 mL of pure alcohol. Grams = volume × ABV ÷ 100 × 0.789 × count. A US standard drink = 14 g. Share of guideline = units ÷ 14.
Example
Inputs: Drink volume = 568 mL, Alcohol by volume (ABV) = 5 %, Number of drinks = 1. Result: UK alcohol units: 2.84; Pure alcohol: 22.4 g; US standard drinks (14 g): 1.6.
Limits and caveats
- The standard drink differs by country, for example 10 g in Australia and 14 g in the United States.
- The strength printed on the label can differ slightly from the real content.
Questions about this tool
What is a UK alcohol unit?
10 mL, or about 8 g, of pure alcohol, roughly what an adult body clears in an hour.
What is the UK weekly guideline?
The UK Chief Medical Officers advise no more than 14 units a week, spread over 3 days or more.
Why is a standard drink different from a unit?
The United States defines it as 14 g of pure alcohol, which is about 1.8 UK units.