Standard Drink Calculator
Instantly find how many standard drinks are in any beer, wine, spirit, or cocktail — just enter volume and ABV.
Calculate Standard Drinks
Choose your country’s standard, enter your drink details, and get an instant result. Works for beer, wine, spirits, canned cocktails, RTDs — any alcoholic beverage.
📋 Session Drink Log
🩸 Want to know your BAC?
Once you know your standard drinks, use our BAC Calculator to estimate your Blood Alcohol Concentration based on drinks consumed, body weight, and time elapsed.
What Is a Standard Drink?
A standard drink is a measurement unit used by health authorities worldwide to help people track how much pure alcohol (ethanol) they’re consuming — regardless of what type of drink they’re having. The concept exists because a pint of craft beer, a glass of wine, and a shot of whisky all look like “one drink” but can contain very different amounts of alcohol.
The key insight: standard drink sizes vary by country, but the concept is universal. What matters is the grams of pure ethanol, not the volume of the drink itself.
Why does this matter?
Health guidelines for low-risk drinking are all expressed in standard drinks. Without knowing how many standard drinks are in what you’re consuming, those guidelines are impossible to follow. A “large glass” of 15% wine at a restaurant can be 2.5 standard drinks — not one. A single tall can of 8% craft IPA is about 2 standard drinks, not one. This calculator closes that gap.
United States
14g pure alcoholDefined by NIAAA. Equals 12 fl oz of regular beer (5%), 5 fl oz of wine (12%), or 1.5 fl oz of spirits (40%).
Australia
10g pure alcoholSet by the Australian Government. Printed on all alcohol labels by law. Stricter guidelines: no more than 10 per week, max 4 per day.
Canada
13.45g pure alcoholDefined by Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines. Equivalent to 341 mL of 5% beer, 142 mL of 12% wine, or 43 mL of 40% spirits.
United Kingdom
8g pure alcohol (1 unit)UK uses “units.” One unit = 10 mL or 8g of pure alcohol. NHS recommends no more than 14 units per week for both men and women.
The Formula: How Standard Drinks Are Calculated
Our calculator uses the same formula trusted by NIAAA, Australian health authorities, and public health bodies worldwide:
Step-by-step worked example
Let’s calculate how many US standard drinks are in a 355 mL can of beer at 5% ABV:
Convert volume to liters
355 mL ÷ 1000 = 0.355 L
Calculate grams of pure alcohol
0.355 L × 5 (ABV%) × 0.789 = 14.01 grams of pure ethanol
Divide by your country’s standard drink size
14.01 ÷ 14 (US) = 1.00 standard drinks · 14.01 ÷ 10 (AU) = 1.40 standard drinks
How to Use This Calculator
Select your country’s standard
Choose USA, Australia, Canada, or UK. The result will reflect how your local health guidelines define one standard drink.
Enter the beverage volume
Check the can, bottle, or glass. Enter the amount and select the unit — mL, L, fl oz, or gallons are all supported.
Enter the ABV percentage
This is printed on every can and bottle as “% ABV” or “% Alc/Vol.” If you only have the Proof value (US), switch the dropdown to Proof — we’ll convert it automatically.
Read your result — and log it
You’ll see standard drinks, grams of pure alcohol, fluid ounces of ethanol, and UK units. Use the “Add to log” button to track your session drink-by-drink.
Common Beverages: Standard Drink Reference
The table below shows how many US standard drinks (14g) and Australian standard drinks (10g) are in typical serves. Use these as quick reference benchmarks — then use the calculator above for your specific drink.
Regular Beer
355 mL / 12 fl oz
5% ABV
🇺🇸 1.0 · 🇦🇺 1.4
Craft IPA
355 mL / 12 fl oz
7% ABV
🇺🇸 1.4 · 🇦🇺 2.0
Tallboy / Pint
473 mL / 16 fl oz
5% ABV
🇺🇸 1.3 · 🇦🇺 1.9
Table Wine
150 mL / 5 fl oz
12% ABV
🇺🇸 1.0 · 🇦🇺 1.4
Wine (large pour)
250 mL / 8.5 fl oz
13% ABV
🇺🇸 1.9 · 🇦🇺 2.6
Bottle of Wine
750 mL
12% ABV
🇺🇸 4.7 · 🇦🇺 6.6
Spirit Shot
44 mL / 1.5 fl oz
40% ABV
🇺🇸 1.0 · 🇦🇺 1.4
Double Shot
88 mL / 3 fl oz
40% ABV
🇺🇸 2.1 · 🇦🇺 2.9
Cocktail (Margarita)
180 mL / 6 fl oz
~20% ABV
🇺🇸 2.0 · 🇦🇺 2.8
Hard Seltzer
355 mL / 12 fl oz
5% ABV
🇺🇸 1.0 · 🇦🇺 1.4
Canned RTD Cocktail
355 mL / 12 fl oz
8% ABV
🇺🇸 1.6 · 🇦🇺 2.2
Sparkling Wine
150 mL / 5 fl oz
12% ABV
🇺🇸 1.0 · 🇦🇺 1.4
💡 Making a cocktail?
If you’re mixing drinks and need to work out the cocktail’s overall ABV first, use our Cocktail ABV Calculator — then paste that ABV here to count standard drinks.
Standard Drink Sizes Around the World
The concept of a “standard drink” is universal, but the amount of pure alcohol it represents varies significantly between countries. This table compares official definitions to help you convert when traveling or comparing international guidelines.
| Country | Pure Alcohol per Standard Drink | Equivalent: Beer (5% ABV) | Equivalent: Wine (12% ABV) | Equivalent: Spirits (40% ABV) | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | 14g (0.6 fl oz) | 355 mL / 12 fl oz | 148 mL / 5 fl oz | 44 mL / 1.5 fl oz | NIAAA |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 10g | 285 mL (stubby) | 100 mL | 30 mL (nip) | Dept of Health |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 13.45g (17.05 mL) | 341 mL (bottle) | 142 mL | 43 mL (jigger) | Health Canada |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 8g (1 unit = 10 mL) | 284 mL at 3.5% | 76 mL | 25 mL | NHS |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 10g | 330 mL at 4% | 100 mL | 30 mL | MOH New Zealand |
| 🇩🇪 Germany / Europe | 10–12g (varies) | ~330 mL | ~125 mL | ~35 mL | WHO EURO guidance |
| 🌍 WHO (Global) | 10g | ~285 mL | ~100 mL | ~30 mL | WHO |
Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines by Country
Knowing your standard drinks only becomes powerful when you compare it against evidence-based health guidelines. Here’s what leading health authorities recommend:
USA (Dietary Guidelines 2020–2025)
Up to 2 standard drinks/day for men, up to 1 per day for women. Some adults should not drink at all (pregnant women, certain medication users).
Australia (NHMRC 2020)
No more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day to reduce risk of harm.
Canada (2023 Guidelines)
Canada updated its guidelines in 2023: 2 or fewer standard drinks per week is low risk. 3–6 per week is moderate risk. 7+ per week is increasingly high risk.
UK (NHS)
No more than 14 units per week for both men and women, spread across 3+ days. One UK unit = 8g of pure alcohol. Avoid “saving up” units for binges.
The Science of Alcohol: Key Entities & Concepts
Ethanol (Pure Alcohol)
Ethanol (chemical formula: C₂H₅OH) is the psychoactive ingredient in all alcoholic beverages. When you drink, your liver metabolizes ethanol at a rate of roughly one standard drink per hour, regardless of coffee, water, or food intake. The standard drink system exists to measure ethanol consumption, not beverage volume.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV)
ABV is the percentage of a beverage’s total volume that is pure ethanol. It appears on every label as “% ABV,” “% Alc/Vol,” or (in the US) sometimes as “Proof” — which is simply double the ABV. A 80-proof spirit = 40% ABV. Our calculator accepts both.
Specific Gravity of Ethanol (0.789)
The constant 0.789 in the standard drink formula is the density of ethanol in g/mL at 20°C. One milliliter of pure ethanol weighs 0.789 grams. This converts volume-based ABV into a weight-based figure (grams), which is how standard drinks and health guidelines are expressed.
Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
BAC measures the percentage of alcohol in your bloodstream. It’s influenced by standard drinks consumed, your body weight, biological sex, metabolic rate, food intake, and time elapsed. Legal driving limits vary: 0.08% in the US, 0.05% in Australia, 0.08% in Canada, and 0.08% in the UK. Use our BAC Calculator to estimate your BAC.
Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Beverages
RTDs — canned cocktails, hard seltzers, coolers — are among the most commonly miscounted beverages. A 355 mL can at 5% ABV = 1 US standard drink; but a 473 mL can at 8% ABV = 2.4 US standard drinks. Always use the calculator, not the “it’s just one can” assumption.
Proof (US)
US “Proof” = 2 × ABV%. A 100-proof whisky is 50% ABV. A 80-proof vodka is 40% ABV. Our calculator includes a Proof input option for convenience.
How to Calculate Standard Drinks in a Cocktail
A cocktail combines multiple spirits, liqueurs, mixers, and garnishes — making it the hardest beverage type to count. Most calculators ignore this. Here’s how to do it properly:
Method 1: Calculate the overall cocktail ABV first
Use our Cocktail ABV Calculator to find the blended ABV of your full recipe. Then enter the total volume and that ABV into the Standard Drink Calculator above.
Method 2: Calculate each spirit separately and add
Enter each alcoholic component individually into the calculator, note the standard drinks for each, and sum them. For example:
- 44 mL vodka at 40% ABV = 1.0 US standard drink
- 15 mL triple sec at 40% ABV = 0.34 US standard drink
- 30 mL lime juice at 0% ABV = 0 standard drinks
- Total Margarita = 1.34 US standard drinks
Common Cocktail Drink Counts (US standard)
| Cocktail | Typical Volume | Typical ABV | US Std Drinks | AU Std Drinks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margarita | 150 mL | 20% | 1.5 | 2.1 |
| Mojito | 240 mL | 10% | 1.6 | 2.3 |
| Long Island Iced Tea | 240 mL | 22% | 3.7 | 5.2 |
| Cosmopolitan | 120 mL | 25% | 2.1 | 2.9 |
| Negroni | 90 mL | 24% | 1.5 | 2.1 |
| Gin & Tonic | 250 mL | 10% | 1.7 | 2.4 |
| Old Fashioned | 90 mL | 35% | 2.2 | 3.1 |
Party Drink Planning: How Much Alcohol to Buy
Planning drinks for an event? The industry rule of thumb is roughly 2 standard drinks per person in the first hour, then 1 per hour after. Here’s a quick guide for events of different sizes:
| Guests | Event Length | Total US Std Drinks | Equivalent Beer (355 mL cans) | Equivalent Wine (750 mL bottles) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 3 hours | 40 | 40 cans | ~9 bottles |
| 25 | 3 hours | 100 | 100 cans | ~21 bottles |
| 50 | 4 hours | 250 | 250 cans | ~53 bottles |
| 100 | 4 hours | 500 | 500 cans | ~107 bottles |
For more detailed party planning, including mixed drink and spirits quantities, try our Party Drink Planner Calculator.