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How Many Units Are in a Drink? Wine, Beer and Spirits
A 750 ml bottle of 13% wine holds about 9.8 units, a pint of 4% lager 2.3, and a 25 ml single measure of a 40% spirit exactly 1. The NHS defines a unit as 10 ml or 8 g of pure alcohol and gives one formula for every drink: strength in % ABV multiplied by volume in ml, divided by 1,000.1 Its guidance is that "men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis", spread over three or more days, with several drink-free days each week.2 This page is the units reference for the Wellgard guide on how to not be hungover.
What is a unit of alcohol?
The NHS puts it in one sentence: "One unit equals 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, which is around the amount of alcohol the average adult can process in an hour."1 Units were introduced in the UK in 1987 to count the alcohol itself rather than the drinks.1 The strength is the ABV, "alcohol by volume", printed on cans and bottles, sometimes as "vol" or "alcohol volume": a wine labelled 12% ABV is 12% pure alcohol by volume.1
The formula is the whole of the method: strength (% ABV) × volume (ml) ÷ 1,000 = units. The NHS's own example is a 568 ml pint of 5.2% lager: 5.2 × 568 ÷ 1,000 = 2.95 units.1 The same arithmetic covers a bottle of spirits (40 × 700 ÷ 1,000 = 28 units) and a 125 ml glass of 12% sparkling wine (12 × 125 ÷ 1,000 = 1.5). Every figure below comes from it.
How many units are in wine, beer, cider, spirits and alcopops?
Each row is the formula at the strength shown; check the label, because the NHS table uses 12% for wine (a 175 ml glass is then 2.1 units) and much wine on UK shelves is 13% to 14%.1
| Drink | Strength (ABV) | Volume | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| A pint of lower-strength lager, beer or cider | 3.6% | 568 ml | 2.0 |
| A pint of lager, beer or cider | 4% | 568 ml | 2.3 |
| A pint of stronger lager, beer or cider | 5.2% | 568 ml | 3.0 |
| A 330 ml bottle of lager, beer or cider | 5% | 330 ml | 1.7 |
| A 440 ml can of lager, beer or cider | 5.5% | 440 ml | 2.4 |
| A 500 ml can of strong cider | 7.5% | 500 ml | 3.8 |
| A 125 ml small glass of wine | 13% | 125 ml | 1.6 |
| A 175 ml glass of wine | 13% | 175 ml | 2.3 |
| A 250 ml large glass of wine | 13% | 250 ml | 3.3 |
| A 750 ml bottle of wine | 13% | 750 ml | 9.8 |
| A 125 ml glass of sparkling wine | 12% | 125 ml | 1.5 |
| A 50 ml measure of fortified wine | 18% | 50 ml | 0.9 |
| A 25 ml single measure of spirit | 40% | 25 ml | 1.0 |
| A 35 ml large single measure of spirit | 40% | 35 ml | 1.4 |
| A 50 ml double measure of spirit | 40% | 50 ml | 2.0 |
| A 700 ml bottle of spirit | 40% | 700 ml | 28 |
| A 275 ml bottle of alcopop | 4.6% | 275 ml | 1.3 |
Where the rows overlap the NHS's own table they agree with it (a 330 ml bottle at 5% is 1.7 units, a 5.2% pint 3, a 35 ml spirit measure 1.4).1 Wine is where answers drift: the NHS says a 750 ml bottle at 13.5% "contains 10 units", at 12% the same bottle is 9, and a glass poured at home is rarely a measured 175 ml.1
How many units a week does the NHS advise?
The UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines were published on 25 August 2016, and the NHS states them as follows.2, 3 "To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks: men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis; spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week; try to have several drink-free days each week."2 On what the number means: "If you drink less than 14 units a week, this is considered low-risk drinking. It's called 'low risk' rather than 'safe' because there's no safe drinking level."2 The same page adds that "the previously held position that some level of alcohol was good for the heart has been revised", and that "if you're pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all".2
Fourteen units in the table's terms: the NHS gives it as "6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine" on its units page and as "6 medium glasses of wine" on its cutting-down page.1, 4 The second equivalence holds only at the NHS's 12% assumption (6 × 2.1 = 12.6 units); at 13% six 175 ml glasses are 13.7 units and at 14% they are 14.7, which is why the formula beats any rule of thumb.
What do "spread over three or more days" and a drink-free day mean in practice?
The NHS asks for two things beyond the weekly total: that the units are not taken in one or two sittings, and that some days carry none at all. Its cutting-down page puts the second as "Take a break: Have several drink-free days each week", meaning days with no alcohol, not days with less.4 One example in units, as a count rather than a plan: two 175 ml glasses of 13% wine on a Friday and the same on a Saturday is 9.1 units, under 14 for the week but taken on two days, with about 4.6 units in each sitting; the guidance would have the same total spread wider or lower, with the other five days drink-free.2
The NHS's other suggestions are unit arithmetic in disguise. "Make it a smaller one": a 125 ml glass of 13% wine is 1.6 units against 3.3 for a 250 ml glass. "Have a lower-strength drink": a 3.6% pint is 2 units against 3 for a 5.2% pint.1, 4 And before any of it: "Try to have something to eat, and drink a glass of water, before you have alcohol. Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or other non-alcoholic drinks."4 The evidence behind that line is on what to eat and drink before drinking alcohol.
What counts as binge drinking?
The NHS definition: "Drinking too much alcohol too quickly on a single occasion is called binge drinking. This means drinking more than 8 units of alcohol in a single session for men, or more than 6 units in a single session for women."2 In the table's rows, 6 units is about two pints of 5.2% lager (5.9) or two 250 ml glasses of 13% wine (6.5, already over the line); 8 units is three and a half pints of 4% lager (8.0) or a little over 600 ml of 13% wine, most of a bottle.1 The NHS's single-occasion advice is four lines: "limit how much you drink; drink more slowly; drink with food; alternate your drinks with water or non-alcoholic drinks."2
How long do those units take to leave the body?
The NHS sentence is "around the amount of alcohol the average adult can process in an hour", and the sentence that follows carries the caveat that matters: "This means that within an hour there should be, in theory, little or no alcohol left in the blood of an adult, although this will vary from person to person."1 On that average the 9.8 units in a bottle of 13% wine take around ten hours to process, and the caveat applies to every one of them. A 2010 evidence-based survey of the elimination rate put the physiological range at 10 to 35 mg per 100 ml of blood per hour: 10 to 15 after drinking on an empty stomach, 15 to 20 in people who had eaten, with 15 "a good average value" for moderate drinkers, and a slightly steeper decline in women than in men.5 The full picture, including what happens to those units overnight, is on how long alcohol stays in your system.
Frequently asked questions
Is 14 units a week ridiculous?
It is a risk line, not a target. The NHS calls drinking under 14 units a week "low risk" and explains the word: "It's called 'low risk' rather than 'safe' because there's no safe drinking level."2 Its summary of the dose is one sentence: "The less you drink, the lower the health risks."2
How many units are in a large glass of wine?
A 250 ml glass at 13% is 3.3 units (13 × 250 ÷ 1,000 = 3.25); at 12% it is 3 units, and at 14% it is 3.5.1 Three large glasses are a bottle: 9.8 units.
How many units are in a pint of strong lager?
A 568 ml pint at 5.2% is 2.95 units, which the NHS rounds to 3.1 A 500 ml can of 7.5% cider is 3.8, and a pint at 4% is 2.3.
How do I count the units from a label?
Find the ABV on the label (sometimes written as "vol"), multiply it by the volume in ml and divide by 1,000.1 A 440 ml can at 5.5% is 5.5 × 440 ÷ 1,000 = 2.4 units. Many UK labels also print the units per container; if yours does, the figure already includes the arithmetic.
Does the NHS have a units calculator?
Not its own: the NHS units page gives the formula, a worked example and the units in nine common drinks, and links to a charity's calculator.1 For any drink, strength × volume ÷ 1,000 takes seconds.
If you are worried about your drinking
"Drinkline is the national alcohol helpline. If you're worried about your own or someone else's drinking, you can call this free helpline in complete confidence. Call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm)." "A good place to start is with a GP."6 In Scotland, NHS inform lists Drinkline Scotland on 0800 7314 314.7 "Call 999 if: you think someone has alcohol poisoning; you or someone else has had a seizure or fit; someone has lost consciousness; someone has stopped breathing."8
Sources
- NHS. Alcohol units. Page last reviewed 27 August 2024. nhs.uk.
- NHS. The risks of drinking too much. Page last reviewed 10 September 2026. nhs.uk.
- Department of Health and Social Care. Alcohol consumption: advice on low risk drinking (UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines). Published 25 August 2016. gov.uk.
- NHS. Tips on cutting down on alcohol. Page last reviewed 9 April 2026. nhs.uk.
- Jones AW. Evidence-based survey of the elimination rates of ethanol from blood with applications in forensic casework. Forensic Science International, 2010. PubMed 20304569.
- NHS. Alcohol support. Page last reviewed 17 August 2026. nhs.uk.
- NHS inform. Alcohol support. Page last updated 7 October 2026.. nhsinform.scot.
- NHS. Alcohol poisoning. Page last reviewed 4 June 2026. nhs.uk.
