Alcohol Unit Calculator
Add the drinks you have in a typical week and see the total in UK units, set against the 14-unit weekly guidance.
Free · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
How to use the alcohol unit calculator
- Open the Drink box for your first row and pick the option closest to what you are drinking.
- Enter the volume in the Size box, for example 1 for one pint with the unit UK pints, or 568 with the unit ml.
- Check the Unit box matches the size you entered.
- Type the strength from the label into the Strength (% ABV) box, for example 4 for a 4% beer.
- Enter how many of this drink you have in a week in the Drinks per week box.
- Select Add a drink to create another row. You can have up to 20 rows.
- Select Remove on any row you no longer need, or Reset to go back to one row.
- Read the results. You will see your total units for the week, how far under or over 14 units you are, a table showing units per drink and per week for each row, and the same total in US standard drinks.
The result updates as you type. If a row does not fit any preset, choose the closest one and then change the size, unit or strength; the Drink box switches to Custom drink by itself. Your rows are remembered only in the browser you are using, so your week will still be there when you come back on that browser. It will not follow you to another device.
How do I calculate alcohol units?
To calculate alcohol units, multiply the strength (ABV) by the volume in millilitres, then divide by 1,000. One unit is 10 ml or 8 g of pure alcohol, so a 568 ml pint of 4% beer gives 4 x 568 / 1,000 = 2.27 units.
The steps are the same for any drink:
- Read the strength (ABV) from the label.
- Measure or read the volume in millilitres.
- Multiply the ABV by the volume.
- Divide the result by 1,000.
Here are some results the tool calculates with this method:
| Drink | Volume | Strength | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pint of beer | 568 ml | 4% | 2.27 |
| Glass of wine | 175 ml | 12% | 2.1 |
| Bottle of wine | 750 ml | 12.5% | 9.4 |
| Single spirit | 25 ml | 40% | 1.0 |
| Large bottle or can of beer | 500 ml | 5% | 2.5 |
| Bottle of beer | 330 ml | 5% | 1.65 |
How many units are in a bottle of wine?
A 750 ml bottle of 12.5% wine contains 9.4 units. Multiply 12.5 by 750 and divide by 1,000 to get 9.375, which rounds to 9.4. A 175 ml glass of 12% wine is 2.1 units, so a bottle holds several times as much alcohol as a single glass.
Wine strength varies, so check the label. A 750 ml bottle at 13.5% is 10.1 units and one at 11.5% is 8.6 units.
How many units are in a pint of beer?
A UK pint of 4% beer (568 ml) contains 2.27 units, which is usually rounded to about 2.3. A 500 ml can of 5% beer has 2.5 units, and a 330 ml bottle of 5% beer has 1.65 units. Check the strength on the label, since it changes the count more than the glass does.
What is 14 units of alcohol a week?
14 units is the NHS weekly guidance. Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, and it is best spread over three or more days. The tool works out that 14 units equals about 6.2 pints of 4% beer, or about 6.7 glasses of 175 ml 12% wine. The NHS says about 6 pints of average-strength beer.
Here is a worked example. Five glasses of 175 ml 12% wine come to 5 x 2.1 = 10.5 units. Two pints of 4% beer come to 2 x 2.27 = 4.5 units (4.55 unrounded). Together that is 15.0 units, which is 1.0 over the 14-unit guidance (the tool shows 15.0 because it adds the unrounded figures: 10.5 and 4.55).
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
Units = strength (ABV) x volume (ml) / 1,000, as the NHS defines it; one unit is 10 ml or 8 g of pure alcohol. The weekly guidance of 14 units is the NHS advice for men and women. US standard drinks use 14 g of pure alcohol (0.789 g/ml ethanol density).
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is 14 units a week safe?
The tool does not judge whether any amount is safe for you. It counts units. The NHS advice is not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, spread over three or more days. For questions about your own health, speak to a doctor.
How many units are in a 25 ml spirit measure?
A 25 ml single of 40% spirit contains 1.0 unit. Multiply 40 by 25 and divide by 1,000 to check it yourself.
What is the difference between units and US standard drinks?
A UK unit is 10 ml of pure alcohol. A US standard drink is 14 g of pure alcohol, which is about 17.7 ml. The tool shows both totals, so the two numbers will differ.
Can I mix beer, wine and spirits in one week?
Yes. Add one row for each kind of drink, with its own size, strength and number per week. The total adds them all, and the table shows each row so you can see which drink contributes most.
Does the tool save my week?
Your rows are remembered only in the browser you use, on this device, and are never sent to us. Select Reset to clear the rows and return to one row.
Is a glass of wine 2 units?
A 175 ml glass of 12% wine is 2.1 units. A 125 ml glass is 1.5 units, and a 250 ml large glass of 13% wine is 3.25 units.
How many is 30 units of alcohol?
30 units is 300 ml of pure alcohol, which is about 3.2 bottles of 12.5% wine at 9.4 units each.
What is 12 units of alcohol equivalent to?
12 units is about 1.3 bottles of 12.5% wine, or about 5.3 pints of 4% beer at 2.27 units each.
Related tools
- Standard drink calculator: use it when you want US or other national standard drinks rather than UK units.
- Alcohol calorie calculator: use it to estimate the calories in the drinks you are planning.
- Alcohol tracker: use it to log drinks over time rather than plan one week.
- Alcohol-free days counter: use it to count days without drinking.
- Alcohol units chart: units in 19 common drinks.
- Get help: use it for free helplines.