224 drink cells — “one drink” is 8 g in the UK, 10 g at the WHO, 14 g in the US

Glasses differ and strengths differ, so the only figure that lets you compare drinks is the weight of pure alcohol. Multiply the volume by the strength and by the density of ethanol, 0.789. How many “drinks” that counts as, though, depends on the country — the UK and the US define it by the volume of pure alcohol (10 ml, 0.6 fl oz) while the WHO defines it by weight (10 g). The widely quoted 8 g and 14 g are those two volumes converted through the density, so this chart does not write them down; it computes them.

Pure alcohol weight

Strength \ Volume · g

Pure alcohol in a drink — 224 cells of strength × volume
	30	50	100	150	200	250	330	355	360	440	500	640	750	1000
3%	1	1	2	4	5	6	8	8	9	10	12	15	18	24
4%	1	2	3	5	6	8	10	11	11	14	16	20	24	32
4.5%	1	2	4	5	7	9	12	13	13	16	18	23	27	36
5%	1	2	4	6	8	10	13	14	14	17	20	25	30	40
6%	1	2	5	7	10	12	16	17	17	21	24	30	36	47
7%	2	3	6	8	11	14	18	20	20	24	28	35	41	55
12%	3	5	10	14	19	24	31	34	34	42	47	61	71	95
13%	3	5	10	15	21	26	34	36	37	45	51	66	77	103
14%	3	6	11	17	22	28	37	39	40	49	55	71	83	111
16%	4	6	13	19	25	32	42	45	45	56	63	81	95	126
17%	4	7	13	20	27	34	44	48	48	59	67	86	101	134
19%	5	8	15	23	30	38	50	53	54	66	75	96	112	150
25%	6	10	20	30	40	49	65	70	71	87	99	126	148	197
35%	8	14	28	41	55	69	91	98	99	122	138	177	207	276
40%	10	16	32	47	63	79	104	112	114	139	158	202	237	316
45%	11	18	36	53	71	89	117	126	128	156	178	227	266	355

30ml a shot · 50ml a soju glass · 355ml a can · 360ml a soju bottle · 500ml a half-litre · 750ml a wine bottle

“One drink” differs by country

A US drink is 1.77 times a UK unit and 1.4 times a WHO drink. So a single 500 ml beer at 5% is 2.5 units in Britain, 2.0 drinks by the WHO count, and 1.4 in the US. The same beer is honestly “two and a half” and “one and a half” at once. Comparing national guidance without accounting for this gap gets the numbers wrong.

Britain and America define it by volume

A UK unit is 10 ml of pure alcohol; a US drink is 0.6 fl oz, which is 17.7 ml. Both are volumes, so you multiply by the ethanol density of 0.789 to get a weight — 7.89 g and 14.0 g, which is where the familiar 8 and 14 come from. Because the British definition is a volume, litres × ABV gives units directly: a 750 ml bottle of 12% wine is exactly 9 units.

Strength and volume trade off exactly

Halve the strength and double the glass and the alcohol is unchanged. 4% at 500 ml equals 8% at 250 ml, and a 5% can of beer lands near a 40% shot. That is why “it is only a weak drink” does not hold up unless you also count the size of the glass.

The calories here count the alcohol only

A gram of alcohol yields 7 kcal — above carbohydrate and protein at 4, below fat at 9. The figure here counts the alcohol alone, so it excludes the carbohydrate in beer, the sugar in sweeter drinks, and anything mixed in. The real calorie count is higher.

No drinking limits are printed here

Low-risk drinking guidelines differ a great deal between countries, and several have revised theirs downward in recent years. Printing a number here would go stale, so this chart gives only the measurement. For how much is appropriate, check the current health guidance where you live, and talk to a doctor if you have a condition or take medication.

How to read it

Pure alcohol (g) = volume (ml) × strength (%) ÷ 100 × 0.789.
Strength is a volume fraction, so multiplying by the volume gives the volume of alcohol.
Multiply that by the ethanol density, 0.789, and you have a weight.
A UK unit is 10 ml of pure alcohol — which is why litres × ABV gives units directly.
A US drink is 0.6 fl oz (17.7 ml); a WHO drink is 10 g.
A gram of alcohol is 7 kcal, and this chart counts the alcohol only.

Common questions

Q. Why does the number of drinks differ by country?

Because “one drink” is defined differently. The UK counts 10 ml of pure alcohol, the US 0.6 fl oz (about 14 g), the WHO 10 g. A US drink is 1.77 times a UK unit, so the same glass changes count when it crosses a border.

Q. How does a bottle of soju compare with cans of beer?

Compare the pure alcohol. A 360 ml bottle of soju at 17% is about 48 g; a 500 ml beer at 5% is about 20 g. So the bottle is roughly two and a half of those beers. Read the strength and volume off the label and find them on this chart.

Q. Is a weaker drink less alcohol?

Only if the glass is the same size. Halve the strength and double the glass and the alcohol is unchanged: 4% at 500 ml equals 8% at 250 ml.

Q. The calorie figure looks low.

It counts the alcohol alone. A gram of alcohol is 7 kcal, but the carbohydrate in beer, the sugar in sweeter drinks, and anything mixed in are not included here.