MasterTool

Alcohol Units Calculator

Calculate UK alcohol units and US standard drinks in any drink from its volume and ABV.

Standard-drink definitions (NIAAA / UK) last updated · reference source

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Dated static reference; no live data is fetched. Verify current source values and assumptions before relying on results.

What this tool does

Calculate UK alcohol units and US standard drinks in any drink from its volume and ABV. Published definitions only: a UK unit is 10 ml (8 g) of pure alcohol; a US standard drink is 14 g (NIAAA). This tool counts units — it makes no judgement about safe consumption, which official guidance frames in weekly, not per-drink, terms.

How to use the Alcohol Units Calculator

  1. Enter or select drink volume (ml).
  2. Enter or select alcohol by volume abv (%).
  3. Enter or select number of drinks.
  4. Read the calculated result; change any measurement to compare alternatives.

Formula

UK units = ml × ABV% / 1000; pure alcohol grams = ml × ABV% × 0.789 / 100; US standard drinks = grams / 14 (NIAAA)
ml
Drink volume (ml)
abv
Alcohol by volume ABV (%)
count
Number of drinks

Published definitions only: a UK unit is 10 ml (8 g) of pure alcohol; a US standard drink is 14 g (NIAAA). This tool counts units — it makes no judgement about safe consumption, which official guidance frames in weekly, not per-drink, terms.

Worked example

For alcohol units calculator, the following measurements illustrate the exact method: Drink volume (ml): 355; Alcohol by volume ABV (%): 5; Number of drinks: 1.

Inputs

  • Drink volume (ml)355
  • Alcohol by volume ABV (%)5
  • Number of drinks1

Result

  • UK alcohol units1.78
  • US standard drinks1
  • Pure alcohol (g)14

Results explained

UK alcohol units
UK alcohol units from the formula above. Published definitions only: a UK unit is 10 ml (8 g) of pure alcohol; a US standard drink is 14 g (NIAAA). This tool counts units — it makes no judgement about safe consumption, which official guidance frames in weekly, not per-drink, terms.
US standard drinks
US standard drinks from the formula above. Published definitions only: a UK unit is 10 ml (8 g) of pure alcohol; a US standard drink is 14 g (NIAAA). This tool counts units — it makes no judgement about safe consumption, which official guidance frames in weekly, not per-drink, terms.
Pure alcohol (g)
Pure alcohol (g) from the formula above. Published definitions only: a UK unit is 10 ml (8 g) of pure alcohol; a US standard drink is 14 g (NIAAA). This tool counts units — it makes no judgement about safe consumption, which official guidance frames in weekly, not per-drink, terms.

Frequently asked questions

UK units = volume in ml × ABV% ÷ 1000. A 355 ml beer at 5% is 355 × 5 ÷ 1000 ≈ 1.8 units.

10 ml — equivalently 8 grams — of pure alcohol. A single 25 ml measure of 40% spirits is exactly 1 unit.

Any drink containing 14 g of pure alcohol (NIAAA): roughly 12 oz of 5% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine, or 1.5 oz of 40% spirits. Craft beers and generous pours often contain 1.5–2 standard drinks.

They are different yardsticks (8 g vs 14 g per unit), so the US count is always lower. This tool shows both so labels from either country make sense.

UK guidance is no more than 14 units a week spread over 3+ days for men and women; US guidance frames limits as standard drinks per day/week. This calculator counts content only — follow your local official guidance.