Standard drink calculator
Enter a drink’s volume and strength (ABV) to see how many grams of pure alcohol it contains and how many standard drinks that is. The result is calculated from the drink’s volume and alcohol content: volume in mL × (ABV ÷ 100) × 0.789 g/mL. It does not estimate your blood alcohol level.
Standard drink calculator
Number of drinks
Result
Pure alcohol
14 g
1 standard drink
17.7 mL of pure alcohol
354.9 mL × (5 ÷ 100) × 0.789 g/mL = 14 g
This result is calculated from the drink’s volume and alcohol content. It does not estimate your blood alcohol level.
| Country | One standard drink | This drink is |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 14 g | 1 standard drink |
| United Kingdom | 10 ml (8 g) | 1.8 units |
| Ireland | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Australia | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| New Zealand | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Canada | 13.45 g | 1 standard drink |
| Germany | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Austria | 20 g | 0.7 standard drinks |
| Switzerland | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Spain | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| France | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Brazil | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Italy | 12 g | 1.2 standard drinks |
| Poland | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Netherlands | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Hungary | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Japan | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Czechia | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Romania | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Sweden | 12 g | 1.2 standard drinks |
| Türkiye | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Denmark | 12 g | 1.2 standard drinks |
| Norway | 12 g | 1.2 standard drinks |
| Finland | 12 g | 1.2 standard drinks |
| South Korea | 7 g | 2 standard drinks |
| Ukraine | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Taiwan | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
| Other / international | 10 g | 1.4 standard drinks |
The formula
Grams of alcohol = volume in mL × (ABV ÷ 100) × 0.789. ABV is alcohol by volume, printed on labels as “% vol” or “% ABV”. 0.789 g/mL is the density of ethanol. Standard drinks are the grams divided by the grams in one standard drink where you live.
Example: a 175 mL glass of wine at 13 % ABV contains 175 × 0.13 × 0.789 = 17.9 g of alcohol. That is 1.3 US standard drinks (14 g each), 1.8 Australian standard drinks (10 g each) or 2.3 UK units.
Sources: AAFS Standards Board, Best Practice Recommendation for Performing Alcohol Calculations in Forensic Toxicology; International Organization of Legal Metrology, International Alcoholometric Tables (OIML R 22).
A standard drink is not the same everywhere
A standard drink is a fixed amount of pure alcohol that health guidance uses as a counting unit. Countries define it differently, so “three drinks” means between 21 g and 60 g of alcohol depending on the definition. Where the official source gives a range (Germany and Switzerland: 10–12 g), the calculator counts with the lower figure, so it never shows fewer drinks than the definition allows.
| Country | Term | Pure alcohol | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Standard drink | 10 g | Healthdirect Australia |
| Austria | Österreichisches Standardglas (ÖSG) | 20 g (25 mL) | Gesundheit Österreich GmbH for the Bundesministerium für Arbeit, Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz |
| Brazil | Dose-padrão | 10 g (12.5 mL) | Ministério da Saúde (Brazil) |
| Canada | Standard drink | 13.45 g (17.05 mL) | Health Canada |
| Czechia | Standardní sklenice (WHO) | 10–12 g (counted as 10 g) | Národní monitorovací středisko pro drogy a závislosti, Úřad vlády České republiky |
| Denmark | Genstand | 12 g | Sundhedsstyrelsen (Denmark) |
| Finland | Annos | 12 g | Suomalainen Lääkäriseura Duodecim and Suomen Päihdelääketieteen yhdistys (Finland) |
| France | Verre standard | 10 g | Alcool Info Service (Santé publique France) |
| Germany | Standardglas | 10–12 g (counted as 10 g) | Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit (BIÖG), kenn-dein-limit.de |
| Hungary | Egység (standard ital) | 10 g | Egészségvonal (egeszsegvonal.gov.hu) |
| Ireland | Standard drink | 10 g | Health Service Executive (HSE), Ireland |
| Italy | Unità alcolica (UA) | 12 g | Istituto Superiore di Sanità, EpiCentro (Osservatorio Nazionale Alcol) |
| Japan | ドリンク (1 drink) | 10 g (12.5 mL) | 厚生労働省 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan) |
| Netherlands | Standaardglas | 10 g | Voedingscentrum (Netherlands) |
| New Zealand | Standard drink | 10 g | Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora (alcohol.org.nz) |
| Norway | Alkoholenhet | 12 g | Helsenorge, content by Helsedirektoratet (Norway) |
| Poland | Porcja standardowa | 10 g | Krajowe Centrum Przeciwdziałania Uzależnieniom (KCPU, Poland) |
| Romania | Unitate de alcool | 10 g (12 mL) | Ministerul Sănătății (Romania) |
| South Korea | 표준잔 (보건복지부, 2018) | 7 g | 한국건강증진개발원 (Korea Health Promotion Institute), 절주온 |
| Spain | Unidad de Bebida Estándar (UBE) | 10 g | Ministerio de Sanidad (Spain) |
| Sweden | Standardglas | 12 g | 1177 för vårdpersonal (Sveriges regioner, Inera AB) |
| Switzerland | Standardglas | 10–12 g (counted as 10 g) | Sucht Schweiz |
| Taiwan | 單位 / 杯 (10 公克) | 10 g | 衛生福利部 心理健康司 (Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan) |
| Türkiye | Standart içki (WHO) | 10 g | Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro MG; World Health Organization |
| Ukraine | Стандартна доза | 10 g | Міністерство охорони здоров’я України |
| United Kingdom | Unit | 8 g (10 mL) | NHS (UK) |
| United States | Standard drink | 14 g | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) |
“Other / international” in the calculator uses 10 g, the amount assumed by the World Health Organization’s AUDIT questionnaire. UK units are defined by volume, so the calculator counts them the way the NHS does: ABV × mL ÷ 1,000.
Sources: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, What Is A Standard Drink?; NHS, Alcohol units; Health Service Executive, Weekly low-risk alcohol guidelines; Healthdirect Australia, How alcohol affects your health; Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora, Standard drinks; Health Canada, Low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines; Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit, Häufige Fragen zum Thema Alkohol; Gesundheit Österreich GmbH for the Bundesministerium für Arbeit, Handbuch Alkohol – Österreich, Band 1: Statistiken und Berechnungsgrundlagen, Datenjahr 2024; Sucht Schweiz, Alkohol: Wirkung – Risiken; Ministerio de Sanidad, Límites de Consumo de Bajo Riesgo de Alcohol. Parte 2: Revisión de la evidencia científica; Alcool Info Service, Les repères de consommation, qu'est-ce que c'est ? À quoi ça sert ?; Ministério da Saúde, Nota Técnica Conjunta nº 263/2024-SVSA/SAPS/SAES/MS; Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Alcol – Aspetti epidemiologici; Krajowe Centrum Przeciwdziałania Uzależnieniom, Substancje psychoaktywne a zdrowie; Voedingscentrum, Alcohol (bier, wijn en sterke drank); Egészségvonal, Alkohol; 厚生労働省, アルコール換算表 (Alcohol conversion table); Babor TF, AUDIT: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: guidelines for use in primary health care (second edition).
Real drinks are rarely one standard drink
One US standard drink is 12 fl oz of beer at 5 %, 5 fl oz of wine at 12 % or a 1.5 fl oz shot at 40 %. Real servings are often larger or stronger. NIAAA notes that a 12 fl oz bottle of beer at 10 % holds two standard drinks, that table wine ranges from about 5 % to 16 %, and that cocktail recipes often exceed one standard drink.
| Serving | Grams of alcohol | US standard drinks | UK units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 US fl oz (355 mL) beer, 5 % | 14.0 g | 1.0 | 1.8 |
| UK pint (568 mL) beer, 5 % | 22.4 g | 1.6 | 2.8 |
| US pint (473 mL) IPA, 6.5 % | 24.3 g | 1.7 | 3.1 |
| 175 mL wine, 12 % | 16.6 g | 1.2 | 2.1 |
| 250 mL wine, 14 % | 27.6 g | 2.0 | 3.5 |
| 25 mL spirit, 40 % | 7.9 g | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| 1.5 US fl oz (44 mL) spirit, 40 % | 14.0 g | 1.0 | 1.8 |
Sources: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, What Is A Standard Drink?; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, The Basics: Defining How Much Alcohol is Too Much.
Cocktails: count the alcoholic ingredients
A mixed drink contains the alcohol of its alcoholic ingredients added together. Ice, juice, soda and other mixers add volume and no alcohol. The cocktail presets in the blood alcohol calculator use the alcoholic ingredients of the International Bartenders Association recipes, with editable strengths. They show a recipe’s alcohol in grams rather than as a strength, because the drink in the glass is weaker than its ingredients: a Margarita’s 70 mL of spirits at 40 % become a much larger, weaker drink once lime juice and ice are added, while the 22 g of alcohol stay the same.
| Cocktail | Alcoholic ingredients | Grams of alcohol | US standard drinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negroni | 30 mL gin (40 %), 30 mL Campari (25 %), 30 mL sweet vermouth (15 %) | 18.9 g | 1.4 |
| Margarita | 50 mL tequila (40 %), 20 mL triple sec (40 %) | 22.1 g | 1.6 |
| Long Island Iced Tea | 15 mL each of vodka, tequila, white rum, gin and triple sec (40 %) | 23.7 g | 1.7 |
A recipe is a reference, not what is in your glass. Free pours, doubles and stronger brands change the result, and the strength of the same brand can differ between countries.
Sources: International Bartenders Association, IBA official cocktail list; US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, 27 CFR Part 5, Subpart I — Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits; European Union, Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, Annex I; Cointreau, Producer statements of strength.
US and imperial measures differ
A US fluid ounce is 29.57 mL and an imperial (UK) fluid ounce is 28.41 mL. A US pint is 16 US fl oz, or 473 mL; an imperial pint is 20 imperial fl oz, or 568 mL, about 20 % more. The calculator stores volumes in millilitres, so switching units changes only how the number is shown.
Sources: National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement; UK Statutory Instruments 1995 No. 1804, The Units of Measurement Regulations 1995, Schedule.
From alcohol content to blood alcohol
Grams of alcohol say how much you drank, not how it affects you. To estimate blood alcohol over time from the same drinks, use the blood alcohol calculator, which adds your body weight, timing and a range for individual differences.
Sources
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). What Is A Standard Drink?. niaaa.nih.gov (checked 6 November 2026)US standard drink: about 14 g (0.6 US fl oz) of pure alcohol; example servings; strength varies within and across drink types.
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The Basics: Defining How Much Alcohol is Too Much. niaaa.nih.gov (checked 6 November 2026)How alcohol is absorbed, distributed and metabolised; effect of an empty stomach; body-water difference between women and men; drinks often contain more alcohol than people think.
- NHS (UK). Alcohol units. nhs.uk (checked 6 November 2026)UK unit: 10 mL or 8 g of pure alcohol; units = ABV × mL ÷ 1,000.
- Healthdirect Australia. How alcohol affects your health. healthdirect.gov.au (checked 6 November 2026)Australian standard drink: 10 g of pure alcohol.
- Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Standard drinks guide. health.gov.au (checked 6 November 2026, archived copy)Australian standard drink: 10 g of pure alcohol.
- Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora (alcohol.org.nz). Standard drinks. alcohol.org.nz (checked 6 November 2026)New Zealand standard drink: 10 g of pure alcohol.
- Health Canada. Low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines. canada.ca (checked 6 November 2026)Canadian standard drink: 17.05 mL or 13.45 g of pure alcohol.
- Health Service Executive (HSE), Ireland. Weekly low-risk alcohol guidelines. www2.hse.ie (checked 6 November 2026)Irish standard drink: 10 g of pure alcohol.
- Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit (BIÖG), kenn-dein-limit.de. Häufige Fragen zum Thema Alkohol. kenn-dein-limit.de (checked 6 November 2026)Germany: a Standardglas contains between 10 and 12 g of pure alcohol (this site counts it as 10 g, the lower end); examples 300 ml beer 5 %, 125 ml wine 12 %, 100 ml sparkling wine 12 %, 40 ml spirit 38 %; blood alcohol in Germany is given in grams per kilogram of blood (‰).
- Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA). Alkohol – Die Fakten. Brochure, 2019, revised 2023. shop.bioeg.de (checked 6 November 2026)Germany: a Standardglas is about 10–12 g; 0.25 l beer or 0.1 l wine is one Standardglas; serving table (0.25 l beer 5 % = 10 g, 0.1 l wine 11 % = 9 g, 4 cl spirit 38 % = 12 g).
- Gesundheit Österreich GmbH for the Bundesministerium für Arbeit, Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz. Handbuch Alkohol – Österreich, Band 1: Statistiken und Berechnungsgrundlagen, Datenjahr 2024. Bachmayer S, Strizek J, Uhl A; Vienna, December 2025. sozialministerium.gv.at (checked 6 November 2026)Austria: an österreichisches Standardglas (ÖSG) contains about 20 g (25 ml) of pure alcohol; ½ l beer, ¼ l wine or 3 small Schnäpse of 20 ml each are one ÖSG; traffic limits are expressed in ‰.
- Sucht Schweiz. Alkohol: Wirkung – Risiken. suchtschweiz.ch (checked 6 November 2026)Switzerland: a Standardglas usually contains between 10 and 12 g of pure alcohol (a glass of wine, a Stange of beer); this site counts it as 10 g, the lower end; elimination about 0.1–0.15 ‰ per hour.
- Ministerio de Sanidad (Spain). Límites de Consumo de Bajo Riesgo de Alcohol. Parte 2: Revisión de la evidencia científica. Approved by the Comisión de Salud Pública, 2 July 2020. sanidad.gob.es (checked 6 November 2026)Spain: 1 Unidad de Bebida Estándar (UBE) = 10 g of alcohol, the average content of 100 ml of 13 % wine, 250 ml of 5 % beer or 30 ml of 40 % spirit; formula ml × % × 0.8 ÷ 100.
- Alcool Info Service (Santé publique France). Les repères de consommation, qu'est-ce que c'est ? À quoi ça sert ?. alcool-info-service.fr (checked 6 November 2026)France: a verre standard contains 10 g of pure alcohol (25 cl of 5 % beer, 10 cl of 12 % wine); the elimination figures are given in grams per litre of blood.
- Santé publique France. Comment réduire les risques de la consommation d'alcool. Updated 26 January 2026. santepubliquefrance.fr (checked 6 November 2026)France: a verre standard as served in a bar or restaurant contains 10 g of pure alcohol whatever the drink; the national benchmarks (2 glasses a day, 10 a week, days without alcohol).
- Ministério da Saúde (Brazil). Nota Técnica Conjunta nº 263/2024-SVSA/SAPS/SAES/MS. December 2024. gov.br (checked 6 November 2026)Brazil: the official dose-padrão is 10 g (12.5 ml) of pure alcohol, following the WHO; 1 ml of alcohol weighs 0.789 g; serving table (350 ml can of 5 % beer = 13.8 g, 600 ml bottle = 23.7 g, 150 ml glass of 12.5 % wine = 14.8 g, 50 ml of 40 % spirit = 15.8 g).
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, EpiCentro (Osservatorio Nazionale Alcol). Alcol – Aspetti epidemiologici. epicentro.iss.it (checked 6 November 2026)Italy: an unità alcolica (UA) is 12 g of pure alcohol, about a 125 ml glass of 12 % wine, a 330 ml can of 4.5 % beer or a 40 ml glass of 40 % spirit; legal limits are stated in grams per litre.
- Krajowe Centrum Przeciwdziałania Uzależnieniom (KCPU, Poland). Substancje psychoaktywne a zdrowie. kcpu.gov.pl (checked 6 November 2026)Poland: a porcja standardowa is 10 g of pure alcohol, contained in about 250 ml of 5 % beer, 100 ml of 12 % wine or 30 ml of 40 % vodka. Quoting the 1982 Act, the page defines the state after alcohol use as 0.2–0.5 ‰ of alcohol in the blood (0.1–0.25 mg/dm³ in exhaled air) and intoxication as more than 0.5 ‰ (more than 0.25 mg/dm³); it does not say what the promille refers to.
- Voedingscentrum (Netherlands). Alcohol (bier, wijn en sterke drank). voedingscentrum.nl (checked 6 November 2026)Netherlands: a standaardglas holds about 10 g of alcohol (250 ml of 5 % beer, 100 ml of 12 % wine, 35 ml of 35 % spirit); promillage is the number of grams of alcohol per litre of blood.
- Egészségvonal (egeszsegvonal.gov.hu). Alkohol. Page revised 28 October 2026. egeszsegvonal.gov.hu (checked 6 November 2026)Hungary: one egység is 10 g of alcohol, equal to 2.5 dl of 5 % beer, 1 dl of 12.5 % wine or 3 cl of 40 % spirit; no amount of alcohol is considered safe.
- 厚生労働省 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan). アルコール換算表 (Alcohol conversion table). Kurihama, 2010. mhlw.go.jp (checked 6 November 2026)Japan: one drink is 12.5 ml or 10 g of pure alcohol; 500 ml beer = 2.0 drinks, one gō (180 ml) of 15 % sake = 2.2, a 120 ml glass of 12 % wine = 1.2, a 350 ml can of 7 % chūhai = 2.0.
- 厚生労働省 e-ヘルスネット (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan). 飲酒量の単位 (Units of drinking). Higuchi S; updated 23 December 2022. kennet.mhlw.go.jp (checked 6 November 2026)Japan: the standard drink (ドリンク) of 10 g of pure alcohol has been adopted in recent years; the traditional 1単位 is about one gō (180 ml) of sake, about 20 g of alcohol.
- Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro MG; World Health Organization. AUDIT: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: guidelines for use in primary health care (second edition). WHO/MSD/MSB/01.6a, 2001. who.int (checked 6 November 2026)The AUDIT questionnaire assumes a standard drink of 10 g of alcohol.
- AAFS Standards Board. Best Practice Recommendation for Performing Alcohol Calculations in Forensic Toxicology. ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 122, First Edition, 2024. aafs.org (checked 6 November 2026)Formula (dose ÷ (Vd × body mass)); volume-of-distribution ranges by sex; elimination range 0.010–0.025 g/dL per hour; ranges instead of single values; linear elimination unreliable below 0.020 g/dL; up to 2 hours to finish absorbing; ethanol density 0.789 g/mL.
- International Organization of Legal Metrology. International Alcoholometric Tables (OIML R 22). OIML R 22, 1975. oiml.org (checked 6 November 2026)Density of pure ethanol at 20 °C (789.24 kg/m³) and the definition of alcoholic strength by volume at 20 °C.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement. nist.gov (checked 6 November 2026)US fluid ounce (29.57353 mL), US liquid pint (473.1765 mL), pound (0.45359237 kg).
- UK Statutory Instruments 1995 No. 1804. The Units of Measurement Regulations 1995, Schedule. legislation.gov.uk (checked 6 November 2026)Imperial fluid ounce (28.4130625 mL), pint (0.56826125 L), stone (6.35029318 kg).
- GOV.UK. Weights and measures: the law — specified quantities. gov.uk (checked 6 November 2026)UK serving measures: draught beer and cider in thirds, halves and two-thirds of a pint; spirits 25 mL or 35 mL; wine 125 mL and 175 mL; fortified wine 50 mL and 70 mL.
- International Bartenders Association. IBA official cocktail list. iba-world.com (checked 6 November 2026)Quantities of the alcoholic ingredients in the cocktail presets.
- European Union (text as adopted, via legislation.gov.uk). Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, Annex I. legislation.gov.uk (checked 6 November 2026)Minimum strengths: vodka, gin and rum 37.5 %, whisky 40 %, liqueur 15 %.
- US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (eCFR). 27 CFR Part 5, Subpart I — Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits. ecfr.gov (checked 6 November 2026)US minimum bottling strength of 40 % for whisky, gin, rum, vodka and agave spirits.
- European Union (text as adopted, via legislation.gov.uk). Regulation (EU) No 251/2014 on aromatised wine products, Article 3. legislation.gov.uk (checked 6 November 2026)Vermouth strength: at least 14.5 % and below 22 %.
- Cointreau (40 %), Campari America (24 %), Aperol (11 %), Pernod Ricard for Kahlúa Original (16 %), Consorzio Prosecco DOC (11 %). Producer statements of strength. aperol.com (checked 6 November 2026)Strengths prefilled for branded cocktail ingredients. Strength differs between markets; presets are editable.