Convert any alcoholic beverage to standard drinks (US, UK, AU, CA). Calculate pure alcohol grams, calories, metabolism time, and compare 15+ common drink types.
A "standard drink" is a fixed amount of pure alcohol, but the definition varies dramatically by country — 14 grams in the US, 8 grams in the UK, 10 grams in Australia. Many popular drinks contain far more alcohol than one standard drink: a 16-oz craft IPA at 7% ABV contains nearly 2 US standard drinks, and a typical Long Island Iced Tea exceeds 3. Misunderstanding serving sizes is a leading cause of unintentional overconsumption.
This calculator converts any beverage by ABV and volume into standard-drink equivalents for multiple countries, grams of pure alcohol, alcohol-only calories, and rough metabolism-time context. It includes common drink presets for quick comparison, from light beer to cask-strength whiskey to cocktails, to make the alcohol content easier to compare across serving styles.
Understanding standard drinks is useful for tracking consumption against health-guideline language, recognizing binge-drinking thresholds, estimating rough sobriety timing, and making informed decisions about alcohol's caloric and health impact.
Most people dramatically underestimate their alcohol consumption because they think in "drinks" (one glass, one bottle) rather than standard units. A large wine pour is 1.5-2 standard drinks. A craft beer tallboy is nearly 2. This calculator removes the guesswork, revealing the actual alcohol content so you can make informed decisions about health, driving, and compliance with medical guidelines.
Alcohol (mL) = Volume (oz) × 29.5735 × ABV/100 Alcohol (grams) = Alcohol (mL) × 0.789 g/mL US Standard Drinks = Alcohol (grams) / 14 UK Units = Alcohol (grams) / 8 Calories from alcohol = grams × 7 kcal/g
Result: 3.74 US standard drinks, 52.4 g pure alcohol, 367 kcal
Two pints of 7% IPA: 32 oz × 29.57 mL/oz × 0.07 ABV × 0.789 g/mL = 52.4 g alcohol. At 14 g per US standard drink, that is 3.74 standard drinks — nearly double what most people assume for "two beers." At 7 kcal/g, the alcohol alone contributes 367 calories.
A standard drink is a fixed amount of pure alcohol, not a fixed glass size. The exact definition varies by country, so the same beverage can map to different drink counts depending on the guideline used.
Serving sizes, craft-beer strength, and cocktail recipes often hide how much alcohol is actually present. Converting to grams and standard-drink equivalents makes comparisons easier.
Standard-drink estimates are useful for planning and comparison, but they do not measure intoxication or impairment by themselves. BAC, timing, food, body size, and individual metabolism all affect how alcohol feels and how long it stays in the body.
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This worksheet converts beverage volume and alcohol by volume into grams of pure alcohol, then expresses that amount as U.S. and international standard drinks. It is a comparison aid, not a measure of intoxication or a diagnosis of alcohol misuse.
Each country chose its standard independently based on different public health traditions. The US (14g) based its standard on typical beer/wine/spirit serving sizes. The UK (8g) chose a smaller unit for easier arithmetic. Australia (10g) and most of Europe use 10g for simplicity. Japan uses 19.75g.
Alcohol itself provides 7 kcal/g, making one US standard drink (14g) = 98 calories from alcohol alone. Beer and wine add carbohydrate calories (a 12-oz beer is ~150-200 total calories). Spirits with zero-sugar mixers have only alcohol calories (~100 kcal per shot).
NIAAA defines binge drinking as 4+ standard drinks for women or 5+ for men within about 2 hours. This typically raises BAC to 0.08% or above. However, even 3 drinks can impair judgment and coordination. Binge drinking is the most harmful drinking pattern.
The average person metabolizes approximately one standard drink per hour (range: 0.75–1.5 drinks/hour). This rate is essentially constant regardless of body size or tolerance. Three standard drinks take about 3 hours. Coffee, cold showers, and exercise do not speed this up.
No. A regular 12-oz, 5% beer is approximately 1 standard drink. But a 16-oz craft IPA at 7% is 1.87 standard drinks. A 22-oz bomber of 9% stout is 3.3 standard drinks. A 40-oz malt liquor at 8% is 5.3 standard drinks. Always check ABV and volume.
US NIAAA: ≤ 2 drinks/day for men, ≤ 1 for women, and no more than 14/week (men) or 7/week (women). Canada (2023): ≤ 2 drinks/week for minimal risk. UK: ≤ 14 units/week. Any amount of alcohol carries some health risk.