What is one standard drink in the US?

In the United States, one standard drink contains 14 grams (0.6 fl oz) of pure alcohol. This equals: 12 oz of regular beer at 5% ABV, 5 oz of wine at 12% ABV, or 1.5 oz of 80-proof (40% ABV) spirits. The standard drink unit helps people compare alcohol intake across different beverage types.

How do I calculate alcohol units (UK)?

In the UK, one alcohol unit = 10 ml (8 g) of pure alcohol. The formula is: Units = (Volume in ml × ABV%) ÷ 1000. For example, a 568 ml pint of 4% beer = (568 × 4) ÷ 1000 = 2.27 units. UK health guidelines recommend no more than 14 units per week for men and women.

How many units of alcohol in a bottle of wine?

A standard 750 ml bottle of wine at 13% ABV contains (750 × 13) ÷ 1000 = 9.75 UK units. At 12% ABV the same bottle holds 9 units. UK guidelines of 14 units per week mean roughly 1.5 bottles of wine at 13% ABV per week is the recommended maximum.

Alcohol Content Guide: ABV, Standard Drinks & Alcohol Units Explained

What Is ABV?

ABV (alcohol by volume) is the percentage of pure ethanol in a beverage by volume. A 5% ABV beer means 5 ml of pure alcohol in every 100 ml of liquid. ABV is the universal standard used on labels worldwide. It is determined by measuring the specific gravity of the liquid before and after fermentation.

Proof is an older US measure equal to twice the ABV. An 80-proof spirit is 40% ABV. UK proof (now obsolete) used a different scale — 100 UK proof was 57.1% ABV.

Standard Drinks by Beverage and Country

A "standard drink" is defined differently by country, but the concept is the same: a unit representing a fixed amount of pure alcohol to help track intake.

Beverage	ABV	Serving Size	Pure Alcohol	US Standard Drinks
Regular beer	5%	12 oz (355 ml)	14 g	1.0
Craft IPA	7%	12 oz (355 ml)	19.8 g	1.4
Table wine	12%	5 oz (148 ml)	14 g	1.0
Fortified wine	18%	3.5 oz (103 ml)	14 g	1.0
80-proof spirits	40%	1.5 oz (44 ml)	14 g	1.0
Hard seltzer	5%	12 oz (355 ml)	14 g	1.0

UK Alcohol Units

The UK uses a different measure called an alcohol unit, where 1 unit = 10 ml (8 g) of pure alcohol. The formula is:

Units = (Volume in ml × ABV%) ÷ 1000

Beverage	ABV	Serving	UK Units
Pint of lager (4%)	4%	568 ml	2.3 units
Pint of strong lager (5.2%)	5.2%	568 ml	3.0 units
Standard glass of wine (13%)	13%	175 ml	2.3 units
Large glass of wine (13%)	13%	250 ml	3.3 units
Single spirit & mixer (40%)	40%	25 ml	1.0 unit
Bottle of wine (13%)	13%	750 ml	9.75 units

Country-by-Country Standard Drink Definitions

The amount of alcohol in a "standard drink" varies significantly by country, which matters when comparing international health guidelines:

United States: 14 g pure alcohol per standard drink
United Kingdom: 8 g per unit (10 ml volume)
Australia: 10 g per standard drink
Canada: 13.6 g per standard drink
European Union: typically 10 g per unit

Always use your own country's definition when following local health guidelines.

Convert liquid volumes with our volume converter.