Alcohol Units Calculator
Calculate alcohol units in beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. Check UK and US guidelines for safe drinking limits and understand alcohol content.
Understanding Alcohol Units
Alcohol units help you understand how much alcohol you're drinking. In the UK, one unit is 10ml (8g) of pure alcohol. In the US, a standard drink contains about 14g of pure alcohol.
The number of units in a drink is calculated using this formula: units = (volume in ml × ABV%) ÷ 1000. For example, a 568ml pint of beer at 4% ABV = (568 × 4) ÷ 1000 = 2.3 units.
UK Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines
The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend that both men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units per week. This should be spread over 3 or more days, with several drink-free days each week.
- 14 units is roughly equivalent to:
- 6 pints of beer (4% ABV)
- 6 medium (175ml) glasses of wine (12% ABV)
- 14 single (25ml) measures of spirits (40% ABV)
US Dietary Guidelines
The US Dietary Guidelines recommend that adults of legal drinking age should limit alcohol intake to 2 drinks or less per day for men and 1 drink or less per day for women. A standard drink in the US contains about 14g of pure alcohol.
Why Use This Calculator?
Our alcohol units calculator helps you make informed decisions about your drinking. Whether you're tracking your intake, planning a party, or just curious, this tool gives you accurate unit counts for any drink.
How Accurate Is This Calculator?
This calculator uses the standard formulas: UK units = (ml × ABV) ÷ 1000 and US standard drinks = (ml × ABV × 0.789) ÷ 14. Results are displayed with up to 2 decimal places for precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
In the UK, one alcohol unit is defined as 10ml (8g) of pure alcohol. This is the standard measurement used by the NHS and UK health guidelines.
A standard 175ml glass of wine (12% ABV) contains about 2.1 units. A large 250ml glass contains about 3 units.
A standard UK pint (568ml) of 4% ABV beer contains about 2.3 units. A pint of 5% ABV beer contains about 2.8 units.
The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend that both men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units per week. This should be spread over 3 or more days.
In the US, one standard drink contains about 14g (0.6 oz) of pure alcohol. This is approximately 1.5 oz of distilled spirits, 5 oz of wine, or 12 oz of regular beer.
To calculate units in a cocktail, enter the total volume in ml and the approximate ABV% of the cocktail. Most cocktails range from 10-20% ABV depending on the ingredients.