Alcohol Units Calculator: UK Units, US Drinks

Alcohol units calculator

Short answer

A UK unit is 10 mL of pure alcohol, so units = volume in mL × ABV ÷ 1,000. A pint of 4% beer is 2.3 units and a 175 mL glass of 13% wine is 2.3. A US standard drink is 14 g of alcohol, about 1.8 UK units. The UK Chief Medical Officers advise no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days.

Last reviewed 27 October 20263 published sourcesNot medical advice

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Units, standard drinks and calories

In the UK, one unit is 10 mL (8 g) of pure alcohol, and the Chief Medical Officers advise drinking no more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, spread over three or more days (UK Chief Medical Officers, 2016).

In the US, a standard drink contains about 14 g (0.6 fl oz) of pure alcohol: 12 fl oz of 5% beer, 5 fl oz of 12% wine or 1.5 fl oz of 40% spirits (NIAAA: what is a standard drink?). The calculator converts volume to grams with ethanol's density of 0.789 g/mL, which reproduces that 0.6 fl oz ≈ 14 g.

Alcohol provides 29 kJ, or 7 kcal, per gram (FAO, 2003 (food energy)). That is the alcohol alone; mixers and residual sugar add more.

Common drinks
Drink	UK units	US standard drinks	kcal from alcohol
Regular beer, 12 fl oz at 5%	1.8	1.0	98
Malt liquor, 9 fl oz at 7%	1.9	1.1	103
Table wine, 5 fl oz at 12%	1.8	1.0	98
Distilled spirits (shot), 1.5 fl oz at 40%	1.8	1.0	98
Beer, UK pint (568 mL) at 4%	2.3	1.3	125
Strong beer, UK pint at 5.2%	3.0	1.7	163
Wine, 175 mL at 13%	2.3	1.3	126
Wine, 250 mL at 13%	3.3	1.8	179
Spirits, 25 mL at 40%	1.0	0.6	55

Drink

UK units

US standard drinks

kcal from alcohol

Regular beer, 12 fl oz at 5%

1.8

1.0

Malt liquor, 9 fl oz at 7%

1.9

1.1

103

Table wine, 5 fl oz at 12%

1.8

1.0

Distilled spirits (shot), 1.5 fl oz at 40%

1.8

1.0

Beer, UK pint (568 mL) at 4%

2.3

1.3

125

Strong beer, UK pint at 5.2%

3.0

1.7

163

Wine, 175 mL at 13%

2.3

1.3

126

Wine, 250 mL at 13%

3.3

1.8

179

Spirits, 25 mL at 40%

1.0

0.6

Alcohol, sleep and training

Alcohol calories count toward your daily total; see where they fit with the TDEE calculator. If you track recovery, compare your mornings after drinking with the HRV baseline calculator.

Common questions

How many units are in a bottle of wine?

A 750 mL bottle at 13% is 9.75 units, or 5.5 US standard drinks. At 12% it is 9 units.

What is the UK weekly alcohol limit?

The UK Chief Medical Officers' 2016 guideline is that men and women are safest not drinking more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, spread over three or more days if you do drink that much, with several drink-free days.

How many calories are in alcohol?

Alcohol itself provides about 7 kcal per gram. A pint of 4% beer contains 18 g of alcohol, about 125 kcal before any sugar or carbohydrate in the drink.

Sources

Figures on this page were checked against these publications on 27 October 2026.

Department of Health. Alcohol consumption: advice on low risk drinking. UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines. 25 August 2016. www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-consumption-advice-on-low-risk-drinking

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. What is a standard drink? National Institutes of Health. www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/what-standard-drink

FAO. Food energy – methods of analysis and conversion factors. Report of a technical workshop, Rome, 3–6 December 2002. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 77; 2003. www.fao.org/4/y5022e/y5022e00.htm

Alcohol units calculator