Free tool
Alcohol Unit Calculator
Estimate UK alcohol units.
Before you use the calculator
What is this calculator for?
This alcohol unit calculator is designed to give you a useful estimate or reference point based on the information you enter. Like every health calculator, it works from recognised formulas or thresholds rather than knowing the full story about you. That makes it useful for orientation and tracking, but not suitable as a diagnosis or a replacement for professional advice.
What it measures
- The information you enter
- A recognised formula or reference range
- A result intended for guidance
Why it is here
It can help you understand where you are now, spot trends and decide what you may want to explore next.
What this result cannot tell you
No calculator can understand everything about you. Important limitations include:
- Individual medical history
- Body composition
- Medication effects
- Day-to-day variation
- The wider context of your health and wellbeing
Treat the result as useful information, not a label. What you do next matters far more than the number itself.
How to use the result sensibly
Use the number as a starting point. Look at the overall trend, how you feel, what is happening with your waist, movement, sleep, blood pressure and other relevant health markers. Where the result is unexpected, concerning or difficult to interpret, a qualified healthcare professional can put it into context.
Industry-standard does not mean individually perfect. These calculators use recognised methods because they are useful, not because they can define a person. Results are informational, subjective in context and open to interpretation.
What should I do next?
How this works, limitations & evidence
Interpretation, limitations & evidence
Understand the result — then decide what matters
Alcohol units let you compare drinks of different sizes and strengths. A pint is not “one unit” and a glass of wine is not automatically one unit either.
How UK alcohol units are calculated
Units = volume in millilitres × ABV (%) ÷ 1,000.
Example: 568 ml pint × 4% ÷ 1,000 = 2.27 units.
What does the UK guideline say?
NHS guidance advises men and women not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week to keep health risks from alcohol low. If you regularly drink 14 units, spread drinking over 3 or more days and include drink-free days.
Why counting 'drinks' is unreliable
A strong craft beer, large wine and double spirit can contain very different units. Size and ABV matter.
Alcohol and weight management
Alcohol contains energy, can lower food restraint, disrupt sleep and often arrives alongside higher-calorie food. Cutting back can improve a weight-management week in more ways than the drink calories alone.
Alcohol and GLP-1 medicines
There is no single blanket rule for everybody, but alcohol may worsen nausea, reflux or dehydration in some people taking weight-loss medication. Individual medical conditions and medicines matter too.
When cutting down needs medical help
Seek clinical advice rather than using this calculator as a detox plan.
Common questions
Is one pint one unit?
Usually not. A 568 ml pint at 4% is about 2.3 units.
Can I save 14 units for Saturday?
NHS guidance advises spreading drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink up to 14 units.
Do alcohol-free drinks count?
Very low or alcohol-free products usually contribute little or no alcohol, but check the label.
What should I use next?
Sources & methodology
We use UK guidance and primary research where appropriate, and disclose when a result is an estimate rather than a clinical threshold.
Use this page as information, not judgement. The best next step is the one that actually fits your health, your life and what you are ready to change.
Written and editorially reviewed by the Shift Some Timber. Editorial review is not clinical review. Health content is checked against recognised UK guidance and primary sources where appropriate.
Last reviewed: 8 August 2026. This page is informational and does not replace individual medical advice.