Convert any pour and alcohol percentage into U.S. standard drinks (14 g of alcohol)
Updated October 2026
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines a U.S. standard drink as any drink containing 0.6 fluid ounces, or 14 grams, of pure alcohol. Multiply the volume by the alcohol percentage to get ounces of alcohol, then divide by 0.6. Worked examples from NIAAA: 12 oz of beer at 5%: 12 × 0.05 = 0.6 fl oz = 1 drink. A 12 oz craft beer at 10%: 12 × 0.10 = 1.2 fl oz = 2 drinks. In milliliters: drinks = ml × ABV × 0.789 g/ml ÷ 14 g; a 750 ml bottle of 12% wine holds 750 × 0.12 × 0.789 = 71 g of alcohol, about 5.1 drinks.
| Drink | Amount | ABV | Standard drinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular beer, 12 oz can | 12 oz | 5% | 1.0 |
| IPA, 16 oz pint | 16 oz | 7.5% | 2.0 |
| Craft double IPA, 12 oz | 12 oz | 10% | 2.0 |
| Malt liquor, 40 oz bottle | 40 oz | 7% | 4.7 |
| Hard seltzer, 12 oz | 12 oz | 5% | 1.0 |
| Wine, 5 oz pour | 5 oz | 12% | 1.0 |
| Wine, 9 oz restaurant pour | 9 oz | 14% | 2.1 |
| Wine, 750 ml bottle | 750 ml | 12% | 5.1 |
| Spirits, 1.5 oz shot | 1.5 oz | 40% | 1.0 |
| Margarita with 2.5 oz tequila | 2.5 oz | 40% | 1.7 |
| Spirits, 750 ml bottle (a fifth) | 750 ml | 40% | 16.9 |
NIAAA’s reference drinks assume a 5% beer, a 5-ounce pour of 12% wine and a 1.5-ounce shot. Many craft beers run 7% to 10% and come in 16-ounce pints; restaurant wine pours are often 6 to 9 ounces of 13% to 15% wine; and mixed drinks commonly hold 2 to 3 ounces of spirits. Each of those counts as 1.5 to 2.5 standard drinks, so a count of “drinks” can understate the alcohol.
Enter the amount you actually pour or are served (measure a usual glass once with a measuring cup) and the % ABV from the label; for wine without a label, 12% to 14% is typical, and 80-proof spirits are 40%. Enter how many you have, and optionally a typical weekly count. The results show standard drinks, grams of alcohol, and how much of that drink equals one standard drink.
Standard drink: 14 g of alcohol in the U.S.; other countries use different sizes (10 g in Australia, 8 g in the UK), so their “units” are not interchangeable. Binge drinking (NIAAA): a pattern that brings blood alcohol to 0.08% or higher, typically about 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more for women in about two hours. Heavy drinking (NIAAA): 5 or more drinks on any day or 15 or more a week for men; 4 or more on any day or 8 or more a week for women. Dietary Guidelines: the 2020-2025 edition advised adults who drink to limit intake to 2 drinks or less a day for men and 1 or less for women; the 2025-2030 edition, released in January 2026, removed those numbers and advises drinking less for better health. NIAAA lists people who should not drink at all: anyone under 21, people who are pregnant or may become pregnant, people taking medications that interact with alcohol, people with certain medical conditions, people recovering from alcohol use disorder, and anyone planning to drive or do something requiring alertness.
| Situation | Standard drinks |
|---|---|
| One 16 oz IPA at 7.5% | 2.0 |
| Two 9 oz glasses of 14% wine with dinner | 4.2 |
| Two margaritas with 2.5 oz of tequila each | 3.3 |
| Two 12 oz 5% beers every night for a week | 14 a week |
The same number of standard drinks produces different blood alcohol levels depending on body weight, sex, food, and how fast you drink. To estimate blood alcohol over time, use the blood alcohol calculator or BAC time calculator; neither can tell you whether it is safe to drive.
Talk to a doctor or other health professional if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, take medications (including sleep aids, pain relievers and many antidepressants), have liver disease or another medical condition, or find it hard to cut down or stop. SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day for referrals. This calculator counts alcohol; it does not assess health risk or tell anyone how much is safe to drink.
Counting glasses instead of alcohol: a large pour of strong wine can be two drinks. Using 12% for all wine when many reds are 14% to 15%. Forgetting the mixer is not the drink: count the spirits in a cocktail, not the glass size. Comparing with another country’s units, which use different gram amounts.