Alcohol unit and standard drink calculator
Enter volume and alcohol strength to calculate grams of alcohol, 10 g units, UK units and US standard drinks. This is not a blood alcohol calculator.
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What are alcohol units?
Different countries use different reference sizes. This calculator keeps them separate:
- 10 g units: each unit represents 10 g of pure alcohol. This is a comparison reference, not a universal definition of a standard drink.
- UK units: 10ml, or about 8g, of pure alcohol.
- US standard drinks: 14g of pure alcohol.
- Pure alcohol grams: the neutral baseline for comparing all systems.
Common drink examples
| Drink | Volume | ABV | UK units | 10 g units | US standard drinks | Pure alcohol grams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beer | 500ml | 5% | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 19.7g |
| Wine | 175ml | 12% | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 16.6g |
| Wine | 250ml | 12% | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 23.7g |
| Spirit | 25ml | 40% | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 7.9g |
| Spirit | 50ml | 40% | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 15.8g |
| Cider | 330ml | 4.5% | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 11.7g |
FAQ
How do you calculate alcohol units?
For one drink, UK units = volume (ml) × ABV (%) ÷ 1000. Pure alcohol (g) = volume (ml) × (ABV (%) ÷ 100) × 0.789. Multiply by quantity for several identical drinks.
What is a UK alcohol unit?
One UK alcohol unit is 10ml, or about 8g, of pure alcohol. A 500ml beer at 5% ABV contains about 2.5 UK units.
What is a US standard drink?
A US standard drink contains 14g of pure alcohol. This calculator divides pure alcohol grams by 14 to estimate US standard drinks.
What is a standard unit?
The 10 g unit in this calculator represents 10 g of pure alcohol. It is a comparison reference, not a universal standard drink: definitions differ by country.
Are alcohol units the same in every country?
No. Standard units, UK alcohol units, and US standard drinks use different reference amounts. Comparing through pure alcohol grams is the clearest way to move between systems.
How many units are in a beer?
A 500ml beer at 5% ABV contains about 2.0 units of 10 g, 2.5 UK units, 1.4 US standard drinks, and 19.7g of pure alcohol.
How many units are in a glass of wine?
A 175ml glass of wine at 12% ABV contains about 1.7 units of 10 g, 2.1 UK units, 1.2 US standard drinks, and 16.6g of pure alcohol.
Can this calculator tell me if I drink too much?
No. The calculator estimates alcohol amounts and totals, but it does not diagnose drinking or give personal medical advice. If you are concerned about your drinking, consider speaking with a qualified health professional.
Does Mindrink store my calculator data?
No. This calculator is stateless in V1. Your inputs are used in the browser for the current page session and are not stored after you leave or refresh the page.
Understand patterns over time
The calculator shows the alcohol in a drink. Mindrink helps you record drinks and see patterns over time.
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