Alcohol Units Calculator — Weekly Tracking

Use the Alcohol Units Calculator

Track weekly drinks as UK units and standard drinks. Set a target and see how many units remain.

How to Use Alcohol Units Calculator — Weekly Tracking

1. Step 1: Add your drinks

   Tap a preset (pint, wine, shot) or add a custom item.

2. Step 2: Set ABV and volume

   Adjust the label ABV (%) and glass size (ml) if needed.

3. Step 3: Enter weekly counts

   Use + and − to match how many you typically have per week.

4. Step 4: Choose a weekly target

   Leave 14 units (UK guide) or set your own weekly goal.

5. Step 5: Review and plan

   Check total units, standard drinks, and how many units remain.

Key Features

• Quick presets
• UK units + standard drinks
• Weekly target & progress
• Mobile-first design

Understanding Results

Formula

UK units are based on pure alcohol volume. One unit equals 10 ml of ethanol. The formula is: units = volume (ml) × ABV (%) ÷ 1000. For grams, multiply volume × ABV by the density of ethanol (0.789 g/ml). This lets us show estimated U.S. standard drinks (grams ÷ 14) and Australian standard drinks (grams ÷ 10) alongside UK units.

Reference Ranges & Interpretation

The UK Chief Medical Officers advise that to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, it is safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units per week, spread across several days, with alcohol-free days. Our default weekly guide uses 14 units; you can set a personal target. The progress bar compares your total to that guide and shows how many units remain or how far over you are.

These values help with planning and awareness. They are not medical advice and do not indicate legal fitness to drive or work. For estimating potential impairment in a single session, consider using our BAC calculator.

Assumptions & Limitations

Labels and pours vary. Cocktails and craft beers can be stronger than expected, and glass sizes differ by venue. Our calculations assume standard ABV and serving size entries; revise the inputs to match what you actually drink. Results are informational only.

Complete Guide: Alcohol Units Calculator — Weekly Tracking

Use the alcohol units calculator to track weekly consumption. Convert drinks to UK units and standard drinks, set a weekly target, and see remaining units.

The goal is simple: translate real‑world drinks into UK units and standard drinks so you can see your weekly total at a glance and make decisions that fit your plans. The interface is touch‑first, with quick presets for pints, wine glasses, and shots, and a custom option when labels or sizes differ.

What is an alcohol unit?

A UK alcohol unit is a measure of pure alcohol: exactly 10 milliliters (8 grams) of ethanol. The unit system makes it easier to compare different drinks and glass sizes without doing mental math for every label. To estimate units, multiply the drink’s volume (in milliliters) by its alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage and divide by 1000. For example, a 568 ml pint at 4% ABV contains about 2.27 units (568 × 4 ÷ 1000 ≈ 2.27). A 175 ml glass of 13% wine is roughly 2.28 units.

The idea is not to judge individual choices, but to provide a shared yardstick. Pubs, restaurants, and supermarkets stock bottles and glasses in many sizes; the unit formula standardizes them so a “couple of drinks” can be translated into a weekly total you can track.

How this alcohol units calculator works

Start by tapping a preset—such as a pint of beer, a wine glass, or a spirit measure—or add a custom item if your drink isn’t listed. For each row, the calculator shows units per drink and lets you set how many you have in a typical week. The summary updates instantly with your total UK units, average per day, and an estimate of standard drinks under different definitions.

Under the hood, the app uses the established formula for UK units and the physical density of ethanol to estimate grams of alcohol. Grams are useful because they map directly to “standard drinks” in other regions. For reference, one U.S. standard drink is 14 grams of alcohol, while one Australian standard drink is 10 grams. Because we compute grams first, we can convert your weekly total to a U.S. or Australian equivalent alongside UK units.

Mobile usability matters. Controls are sized for thumbs, inputs use the decimal keypad, and the layout avoids horizontal scrolling. You can edit labels to match exactly what you buy—brand, pour size, or cocktail recipe—and the calculations will reflect your custom entry. The idea is to spend less time fiddling and more time deciding how you want your week to look.

If you’re planning around occasions or driving, you may also want to estimate your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over time. Use the BAC Calculator to see how weight, sex, time, and drink pacing might affect estimated BAC and sobriety timelines.

UK weekly limits and guidance

In the UK, the Chief Medical Officers advise that to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, it is safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week, spread across several days. This is guidance, not a mandate, and it applies to both men and women. Planning some alcohol‑free days each week is also recommended. Our calculator defaults to a 14‑unit weekly guide, and you can adjust the target to match advice you follow or a personal goal you set for yourself.

“Spread across several days” is practical advice. Drinking the same total over one or two heavy nights tends to lead to higher peaks in BAC, more sleep disruption, and greater short‑term risks, compared with lighter amounts across more days. The weekly framing is therefore a cap, not a target; many people will prefer an amount that’s comfortably below the cap, particularly during training cycles or busy periods at work.

Guidance is framed in terms of long‑term health risk. It doesn’t speak to legal impairment, fitness to drive, or workplace rules. If you need practical help translating units into real plans—like deciding how many glasses to pour at a dinner or how to pace drinks on a weekend—the combination of this tool and the Alcohol Calculator can help you visualize totals, calories, and session pacing.

Reference: NHS guidance on alcohol units and low‑risk drinking. See “Alcohol units” on the NHS website. NHS: Calculating alcohol units.

UK units vs. standard drinks

A “standard drink” is not universal. The UK unit is based on volume (10 ml of pure alcohol), while many countries express guidance in grams of alcohol per drink. For example, the U.S. standard drink is 14 g; Australia uses 10 g. Because brands vary in ABV and serving size, a “glass of wine” might be anywhere from ~1.5 to ~3 units depending on the pour and label. By showing both UK units and estimated standard drinks, you can translate your habits if you travel or read international advice.

Our approach is consistent: compute ethanol grams from the label (volume × ABV × 0.789 g/ml), then express results either as UK units (grams ÷ 8) or as standard drinks (grams ÷ 14 for U.S., grams ÷ 10 for Australia). You don’t need to memorize these conversions—the calculator handles them—but knowing the difference explains why your favorite beer might count as more than “one drink.”

For wine and craft beer especially, small changes in ABV have an outsized effect. A 6.5% IPA in a large can may contain considerably more alcohol than a 4% session beer in a pint glass. Likewise, a 15% red wine poured generously can double the units of a smaller 12% pour. Always check the label, and don’t assume all “one drink” servings are equivalent.

Common drinks and example units

Here are ballpark figures to help you reason about the numbers you’ll see:

• Pint of 4% beer (568 ml): ≈ 2.27 UK units. Two pints ≈ 4.54 units.
• Beer bottle 5% (330 ml): ≈ 1.65 UK units. Three bottles ≈ 4.95 units.
• Wine 13% (175 ml): ≈ 2.28 UK units. A large 250 ml pour ≈ 3.25 units.
• Spirit 40% (25 ml): ≈ 1.00 UK unit. A 35 ml measure ≈ 1.4 units.
• Cider 4.5% (568 ml): ≈ 2.56 units. Flavored “alcopops” vary; check the label.

These estimates let you mix and match. For example, a Friday pub night with two pints of 4% beer (~4.54 units) and a 25 ml spirit (~1 unit) lands near 5.5 units. If your weekly guide is 14 units, you now know roughly how much room is left for the rest of the week.

Planning your week within limits

The easiest way to plan is to set a weekly target (the default is 14 units) and spread it across days where social plans are more likely. Some people keep weekdays alcohol‑free, then split their target across Friday and Saturday. Others prefer smaller amounts more evenly distributed. The calculator helps you scenario‑plan by adjusting counts and watching the progress bar. The goal is to avoid regular heavy episodes and to keep your overall risk low.

A helpful tactic is to budget backwards from anchoring events. If Saturday includes a dinner with two glasses of wine (around 4.5–6.5 units depending on pour and ABV), you can allocate those units first, then distribute the remainder across the rest of the week—or choose to keep other days alcohol‑free. This reduces decision fatigue: you decide once, then follow the plan.

If you want to balance hydration, recovery, and fitness while you plan, visit the Hydration Calculator and the Water Intake Calculator. Both provide practical daily targets that pair well with nights out or training blocks.

If your plan includes a bigger occasion, consider how long it takes for alcohol to leave your system and how much sleep you’ll get. The ETG Calculator can help you understand typical windows for ethyl glucuronide detection, and the Alcohol Calculator can translate drinks into calories and cost so you can plan smarter.

Cutting back: smart swaps

If you’re trying to reduce units without changing social plans, a few small tweaks go a long way. Choose beers in the 3–4% range instead of 5–6%, opt for a 175 ml wine glass instead of 250 ml, or alternate drinks with sparkling water. Spirits are predictable—25 ml of 40% spirit is about one unit—so long drinks with plenty of ice and a diet mixer keep units similar while slowing pace.

Another low‑effort approach is to pre‑commit to a serving size. At home, stock smaller wine glasses or choose bottles you know are lower in ABV. When out, decide on a plan before you arrive—two pints and water, or one glass of wine and a shared dessert—and then stick to that plan. The calculator helps you sanity‑check whether the plan fits your weekly target.

You can also set a weekly allowance in units and “budget” for events. As you enter likely counts into the calculator, the remaining‑units figure shows how much flexibility is left. If you prefer energy‑budget planning, combine this tool with our Calorie Calculator or check body‑composition goals using the Adult BMI Calculator.

Calories, cost, and budgeting

Alcohol contains energy (about 7 kcal per gram), and many drinks include sugars as well. If you’re tracking calories, the number of grams in the summary can be a quick proxy—multiply grams by ~7 to estimate calories from alcohol alone, then add mixers if relevant. For a more detailed breakdown across a session, the Alcohol Calculator lets you specify price and mixer choices to estimate totals and cost.

Another pragmatic approach is to focus on pacing. The slower you drink, the more time your body has to metabolize alcohol, which generally leads to lower peak BAC for the same total units. If you need to understand BAC curves, head to the BAC Calculator.

Assumptions and limitations

Results are estimates based on label information. Real pours and ABV can vary by brand, venue, and glassware; canned cocktails and craft beers may be stronger than you expect. We use a standard ethanol density (0.789 g/ml) to compute grams and show U.S./Australian equivalents. This is appropriate for tracking and planning, but it isn’t a clinical tool and does not provide medical advice.

Finally, remember that totals don’t describe timing. Ten units consumed slowly across multiple days is very different from a single evening of ten units. If timing matters for your plans (for example, early training sessions or driving), combine this weekly tool with our session‑focused calculators and give yourself margin for sleep and recovery.

Legal limits (such as fitness to drive) are jurisdiction‑specific and depend on factors beyond total weekly units, including timing, body mass, sex, and food intake. If you need to estimate impairment from a particular session, use the BAC Calculator and allow generous margins. When in doubt, don’t drive.

Additional reading: World Health Organization resources on alcohol and health policies. WHO: Alcohol.

Frequently Asked Questions