Alcohol Unit Calculator
Calculate alcohol units and monitor your drinking with international standards and health guidelines
Calculate Your Alcohol Units
UK Units (8ml pure alcohol)
🍺Beer
Low alcohol beer (2.8%)
1.59 units per pint
Standard beer (5%)
2.84 units per pint
Strong beer (8%)
4.54 units per pint
Beer bottle (330ml, 5%)
1.65 units per bottle
Beer can (440ml, 5%)
2.20 units per can
🍷Wine
Small glass of wine (125ml, 12%)
1.50 units per small glass
Standard glass of wine (175ml, 12%)
2.10 units per standard glass
Large glass of wine (250ml, 12%)
3.00 units per large glass
Champagne (150ml, 12%)
1.80 units per flute
🥃Spirits
Single shot (25ml, 40%)
1.00 units per single shot
Double shot (50ml, 40%)
2.00 units per double shot
Whiskey (35ml, 40%)
1.40 units per measure
Vodka shot (30ml, 37.5%)
1.13 units per shot
🍹Other
Alcopop (275ml, 5%)
1.38 units per bottle
Port wine (50ml, 20%)
1.00 units per glass
Sherry (50ml, 15%)
0.75 units per glass
Liqueur (25ml, 25%)
0.63 units per measure
Example: Typical Evening Out
Drinks Consumed
• 2 pints of standard beer (5% ABV, 568ml each)
• 1 large glass of wine (12% ABV, 250ml)
• 1 single shot of whiskey (40% ABV, 25ml)
UK Units Calculation
Beer: (5 × 568) ÷ 1000 = 2.84 units per pint × 2 = 5.68 units
Wine: (12 × 250) ÷ 1000 = 3.0 units
Whiskey: (40 × 25) ÷ 1000 = 1.0 unit
Total: 9.68 UK units
Quick Reference
1 UK Unit Equals
8ml or 8g of pure ethyl alcohol
Popular Examples
- • Single shot (25ml, 40%) = 1 unit
- • Glass of wine (175ml, 12%) = 2.1 units
- • Pint of beer (568ml, 5%) = 2.8 units
Formula
Units = (ABV × Volume in ml) ÷ 1000
Health Guidelines
UK NHS Guidelines
- • Maximum 14 units per week
- • Spread over 3+ days
- • Have alcohol-free days
- • Eat before drinking
Special Considerations
- • Pregnant women: Avoid alcohol
- • Under 18: No alcohol
- • Medical conditions: Consult doctor
- • Medications: Check interactions
Understanding Alcohol Units
What is an Alcohol Unit?
An alcohol unit is a measure of the amount of pure alcohol in an alcoholic drink. In the UK, one unit contains 8ml (8g) of pure ethyl alcohol. This is approximately the amount of alcohol an average adult can process in one hour.
International Standards
- •UK: 8g pure alcohol per unit
- •US: 14g per standard drink
- •Australia: 10g per standard drink
- •Canada: 13.45g per standard drink
Health Risks of Excessive Drinking
- •Liver disease and cirrhosis
- •Increased cancer risk
- •Heart disease and stroke
- •Mental health problems
- •Dependency and addiction
Remember: There is no completely safe level of alcohol consumption. The guidelines represent lower-risk levels, not no-risk levels.