Alcohol Unit Calculator
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Calculate units of alcohol in any drink from volume and ABV. Compare to UK and US health guidelines.
Units of Alcohol
1.65 units
1 UK unit = 10ml (8g) of pure alcohol. UK NHS recommends no more than 14 units per week spread over 3+ days.
📐 Formula
Units = (Volume ml × ABV%) ÷ 1000. Calories ≈ Units × 56 kcal
How to Use the Alcohol Unit Calculator
Select your drink type
Choose beer, wine, spirits, or enter a custom drink. Strength (ABV%) varies significantly — a 3.5% session beer is roughly half the alcohol of a 7% craft IPA of the same volume.
Enter volume and strength
Input the volume in ml and the ABV percentage printed on the label. For a pint of beer: 568ml. For a standard wine glass: 175ml. For a single spirit measure: 25ml (UK) or 35ml (pub).
Add all drinks for the session
Use the multi-drink feature to total a full evening. The calculator adds units cumulatively and shows your weekly total if tracking multiple days.
Check against NHS guidelines
The NHS recommends no more than 14 units per week for both men and women. The calculator flags when you approach or exceed this threshold.
Understanding Alcohol Units
One UK alcohol unit contains 10ml (8g) of pure alcohol — a standardised measure used by the NHS to help people track intake. The formula is simple: divide the volume in ml by 1,000 and multiply by the ABV percentage. A 330ml bottle of 5% lager contains 330 × 5 ÷ 1,000 = 1.65 units. A 250ml large glass of 13% wine contains 250 × 13 ÷ 1,000 = 3.25 units — nearly a quarter of the weekly recommendation in one glass.
The 14-Unit Weekly Limit: What It Looks Like in Practice
14 units per week equates to: 6 pints of average-strength beer (4% ABV), or 10 small glasses of wine (125ml at 12%), or roughly 14 single pub measures of spirits (25ml at 40%). Crucially, the NHS advises spreading these across three or more days and having several alcohol-free days each week — not saving the full 14 units for a single session, which creates acute health risks regardless of the weekly total.
Alcohol and Calories: The Often-Missed Connection
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram of pure ethanol — almost as calorie-dense as fat (9 cal/g) and nearly double carbohydrates and protein (4 cal/g each). A pint of 5% lager contains approximately 215 calories. A large glass of wine runs 185–250 calories depending on sugar content. These calories carry no nutritional value (no protein, vitamins, or minerals), are metabolised before fat and carbohydrates, and are not captured on many food tracking apps unless manually entered. The average person who drinks moderately may consume 1,000–2,000 "invisible" alcohol calories per week.
Factors That Affect How Alcohol Hits You
Body weight, sex, food intake, hydration, and tolerance all affect blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from the same number of units. Women generally reach higher BAC than men at the same unit intake due to lower average body water percentage. Drinking on an empty stomach speeds alcohol absorption significantly. Standard drink sizes at home versus bars vary widely — home pours of wine and spirits frequently exceed "standard" serving sizes by 30–50%, making unit tracking at home less accurate without measuring.
Sources & Methodology
Calculations are based on the most current publicly available data from authoritative government and industry sources:
Frequently Asked Questions
A standard pint (568ml) of 4% beer contains 2.3 units. A stronger 5% pint contains 2.8 units. Formula: Units = (Volume ml × ABV%) ÷ 1000.
The NHS recommends no more than 14 units per week for both men and women, spread over 3 or more days. 14 units is roughly equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of wine.
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram of pure alcohol (nearly as much as fat at 9 cal/g). A pint of beer is around 180–230 calories, a glass of wine 120–160 calories, a single spirit about 55–65 calories.