How many standard drinks is this?
Type the size of the drink and the alcohol by volume on its label. The standard drink calculator shows how many US standard drinks it holds, and how much pure alcohol that is.
- Standard drinks
- 1
US standard drinks: 1, with 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol.
- Standard drinks in one
- 1
- Pure alcohol (fl oz)
- 0.6
- Pure alcohol (mL)
- 17.7
- Pure alcohol (grams, about)
- 14
Standard drinks: 1. US standard drinks: 1, with 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol.
This calculator gives general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or other health care provider. Talk with a professional about your results. Terms of use
How to calculate
Computes how many US standard drinks (0.6 fl oz or about 14 g of pure alcohol each) a drink holds, from its volume and alcohol by volume, for one drink or several.
Example with the default inputs (Drink size 12 fl oz, Alcohol by volume (ABV) 5%, Number of drinks 1): US standard drinks: 1, with 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol.
Method: Pure alcohol = drink size × ABV ÷ 100 × number of drinks; standard drinks = pure alcohol ÷ 0.6 fl oz; grams ≈ standard drinks × 14.
- A US standard drink holds 0.6 fl oz (about 14 g) of pure alcohol (NIAAA). Other countries define a standard drink differently, for example 10 g in Australia.
- The ABV is the one on the label; mixed drinks add up each pour separately.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Drink size 12 fl oz, Alcohol by volume (ABV) 5%, Number of drinks 1 gives Standard drinks 1, Pure alcohol (fl oz) 0.6, Pure alcohol (grams, about) 14.Source: NIAAA, What Is A Standard Drink? (a US standard drink holds about 14 g, or 0.6 fl oz, of pure alcohol; 12 fl oz beer at 5%, 5 fl oz wine at 12%, 1.5 fl oz spirits at 40%). https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/what-standard-drink
- Drink size 5 fl oz, Alcohol by volume (ABV) 12%, Number of drinks 1 gives Standard drinks 1, Pure alcohol (fl oz) 0.6.Source: NIAAA, What Is A Standard Drink? (a US standard drink holds about 14 g, or 0.6 fl oz, of pure alcohol; 12 fl oz beer at 5%, 5 fl oz wine at 12%, 1.5 fl oz spirits at 40%). https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/what-standard-drink
- Drink size 1.5 fl oz, Alcohol by volume (ABV) 40%, Number of drinks 3 gives Standard drinks 3, Standard drinks in one 1, Pure alcohol (fl oz) 1.8.Source: NIAAA, What Is A Standard Drink? (a US standard drink holds about 14 g, or 0.6 fl oz, of pure alcohol; 12 fl oz beer at 5%, 5 fl oz wine at 12%, 1.5 fl oz spirits at 40%). https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/what-standard-drink
- Drink size 25.36 fl oz, Alcohol by volume (ABV) 13.5%, Number of drinks 1 gives Standard drinks 5.706116, Pure alcohol (mL) 101.25.Source: NIAAA, What Is A Standard Drink? (a US standard drink holds about 14 g, or 0.6 fl oz, of pure alcohol; 12 fl oz beer at 5%, 5 fl oz wine at 12%, 1.5 fl oz spirits at 40%). https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/what-standard-drink; NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C (1 fl oz = 29.5735295625 mL)
How it works
- Pure alcohol in one drink = drink size × ABV ÷ 100.
- Pure alcohol in all the drinks = that × the number of drinks.
- Standard drinks = pure alcohol ÷ 0.6 US fl oz (NIAAA's US standard drink).
- Grams of pure alcohol (about) = standard drinks × 14, NIAAA's weight of one standard drink.
- Units: 1 US fl oz = 1/128 US gallon = 29.5735295625 mL exactly, so 0.6 fl oz = 17.7441177375 mL.
Exact arithmetic. The drink size is read as the exact decimal you typed, in the unit you typed it in (12 fl oz is exactly 12 × 29.5735295625 mL). When you type a size, the page stores it in cubic metres and reads it back as the decimal with the fewest significant digits, in one of the box's units (fl oz, mL, L, cup, pint), that gives the same stored number; on a tie the first unit in that list wins. When none does, the stored number's own shortest decimal is used. Every step is then an exact fraction, so 12 fl oz at 5% is exactly 1 standard drink.
Output format. Standard drinks and fluid ounces show with at most 2 decimals, millilitres and grams with at most 1, each rounded half up from the exact value, with trailing zeros left off.
Assumptions
- The US standard drink (0.6 fl oz, about 14 g). Other countries use other sizes.
- The ABV is the one on the label, from 0% to 100%. Drink size more than 0 and at most 100 L; 1 to 1,000 drinks.
- This page counts alcohol only. It does not estimate blood alcohol or say whether an amount is safe; see NIAAA for drinking guidelines.
Worked examples by hand
A 12 fl oz beer at 5%. 12 × 0.05 = 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol = 0.6 ÷ 0.6 = 1 standard drink, about 14 g.
A 5 fl oz glass of wine at 12%. 5 × 0.12 = 0.6 fl oz = 1 standard drink.
Three 1.5 fl oz shots at 40%. 1.5 × 0.40 = 0.6 fl oz = 1 drink each; × 3 = 1.8 fl oz, 3 standard drinks.
A 750 mL bottle of wine at 13.5%. 750 × 0.135 = 101.25 mL of pure alcohol; 101.25 ÷ 17.7441177375 = 5.71 standard drinks.
Other questions people ask
What is a standard drink?
In the United States a standard drink holds about 14 grams, or 0.6 fluid ounces, of pure alcohol (NIAAA). That is a 12 fl oz beer at 5%, a 5 fl oz glass of wine at 12%, or a 1.5 fl oz shot of 40% spirits.
How do I count standard drinks?
Multiply the drink size by its alcohol by volume to get the pure alcohol, then divide by 0.6 fl oz. A 16 fl oz craft beer at 7% holds 16 × 0.07 = 1.12 fl oz of alcohol, or 1.87 standard drinks.
How many standard drinks are in a bottle of wine?
A 750 mL bottle at 13.5% holds 750 × 0.135 = 101.25 mL of pure alcohol. One standard drink is 0.6 fl oz = 17.74 mL, so the bottle holds about 5.7 standard drinks.
Is a standard drink the same in every country?
No. This calculator uses the US standard of 14 g (0.6 fl oz). Some countries use other amounts, such as 10 g, so the same drink counts as a different number of drinks there.
Why does the ABV matter so much?
The pure alcohol grows with the ABV. A pint of 9% beer holds almost twice the alcohol of a pint of 5% beer, so it counts as almost two standard drinks.
How many standard drinks are in a cocktail?
Add up each pour. Two 1.5 fl oz shots of 40% spirits make 2 standard drinks, before any liqueur. Use the number of drinks box for several equal pours.