Alcohol Unit Calculator
Calculate UK units, US standard drinks, and grams of alcohol for any beverage.
Weekly Guideline Comparison
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a UK alcohol unit?▼
1 UK unit = 10ml (8g) of pure alcohol. Formula: Units = (Volume in ml × ABV%) ÷ 1000. UK guidelines recommend no more than 14 units per week spread across 3+ days, with several alcohol-free days. That's roughly 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of wine.
What is a US standard drink?▼
1 US standard drink = 14g (17.7ml) of pure alcohol — compared to the UK's 8g per unit. A 12 oz (355ml) can of regular beer (5%), a 5 oz (148ml) glass of wine (12%), and a 1.5 oz (44ml) shot of spirits (40%) are all approximately 1 US standard drink. US guidelines: up to 1 drink/day for women, 2 for men.
How is blood alcohol level affected by drinking speed?▼
The liver processes approximately 1 UK unit (or 1 US standard drink) per hour. Drinking faster than this causes blood alcohol to accumulate. BAC also depends on body weight, sex, food intake, and genetics. A 70kg male drinking 4 pints in 2 hours reaches approximately 0.08% BAC — the UK driving limit.
Does alcohol content change in mixed drinks?▼
In cocktails, use the total amount of pure alcohol from each spirit. A 50ml serving of 40% vodka = 50 × 40/100 = 20ml pure alcohol = 2 UK units (or 1.1 US standard drinks). Mixers like juice, soda, or water don't contain alcohol — they just dilute the drink, affecting perception but not total units.