Health & Fitness
Standard Drinks & Alcohol Units Calculator (UK & US)
Calculate UK alcohol units and US standard drinks for any drink. Enter volume and ABV, or pick from common drink presets. Includes low-risk drinking guidelines.
Common drinks
UK Units
2.10
14 units/week guideline
US Standard Drinks
1.18
14 drinks/week guideline
2.10 UK units
Weekly limit: 14 units
What is one unit of alcohol?
The definition of a "unit" differs between countries:
- UK unit: 10 ml (or 8 g) of pure ethanol. The formula is:
units = (volume ml × ABV%) ÷ 1000 - US standard drink: 14 g of pure ethanol — equivalent to 1.75 UK units.
- EU/international: Varies by country, typically 10–14 g per "drink".
For a practical example: a 330 ml bottle of 5% beer = (330 × 5) / 1000 = 1.65 UK units or approximately 0.94 US standard drinks.
Common drinks reference
| Drink | Volume | ABV | UK units | US standard drinks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pint of beer (4%) | 568 ml | 4% | 2.3 | 1.3 |
| Pint of strong lager (5.2%) | 568 ml | 5.2% | 3.0 | 1.7 |
| Glass of wine (13%) | 175 ml | 13% | 2.3 | 1.3 |
| Large glass of wine (13%) | 250 ml | 13% | 3.3 | 1.9 |
| Single spirit measure (40%) | 25 ml | 40% | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| Double spirit measure (40%) | 50 ml | 40% | 2.0 | 1.1 |
| Bottle of wine (12.5%) | 750 ml | 12.5% | 9.4 | 5.3 |
| Can of beer (330 ml, 5%) | 330 ml | 5% | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Alcopop (275 ml, 4%) | 275 ml | 4% | 1.1 | 0.6 |
Low-risk drinking guidelines
- UK (NHS): No more than 14 units per week for both men and women. Spread over 3 or more days; have several alcohol-free days each week.
- US (2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines): Up to 1 standard drink per day for women; up to 2 standard drinks per day for men. These are the upper limits, not targets.
- Australia (NHMRC 2020): No more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 on any single day.
Many health organizations now emphasize that there is no completely safe level of alcohol consumption, and less is always better for health.
How alcohol is metabolized
The liver processes alcohol at approximately 1 UK unit (10 ml / 8 g) per hour for an average adult. This rate is largely fixed by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and cannot be significantly sped up by coffee, food, cold showers, or exercise — only time allows blood alcohol to fall.
Food slows absorption (gastric emptying rate), reducing the peak BAC, but does not change the elimination rate. A meal before drinking means alcohol enters the bloodstream more slowly; the same total amount is still processed over the same total time.