Standard Drinks Calculator
Work out how much alcohol you really drink — in grams and Australian standard drinks — by the day, week, month and year, and see how it compares with the national guideline.
This standard drinks calculator adds up your true intake from everyday serves. Most real-world drinks are more than one standard drink — a schooner is about 1.6 and a restaurant glass of wine about 1.5. The calculator below adds up your true intake and shows how it accumulates over a year. For your heart, the lowest-risk amount is the lowest amount.
The Calculator
Add the drinks you have in a typical week, set your heaviest single day, and the calculator does the rest.
Use your usual week, not your best week. If your drinking varies, enter an average of the last 4 weeks.
Standard drinks calculator: how much are you really drinking?
Add the drinks you have in a typical week. The calculator works out the grams of pure alcohol and standard drinks — and how that adds up over a month and a year.
In a typical week, I drink
Educational estimate only, based on average alcohol content — actual strength varies, so check the label. This is not a measure of intoxication or blood-alcohol level. The Australian guideline is an upper limit, not a target: for your heart, less is better, and if you don’t drink there’s no reason to start.
What Is a Standard Drink?
In Australia, one standard drink contains 10 grams of pure alcohol — the same whether it’s beer, wine or spirits.
The catch is that almost nothing you’re actually served equals exactly one. A schooner, a restaurant glass of wine and a generous home pour are all well over one, which is why people routinely drink more than they think. The chart below shows the difference between one standard drink and a typical real serve.
Ten grams is ten grams — the same in beer, wine or spirits. The catch: almost nothing you’re actually poured equals just one.
How Much Is Too Much?
The Australian (NHMRC) guideline for healthy adults is no more than 10 standard drinks a week, and no more than 4 on any one day. Both limits matter: the weekly figure tracks long-term risk, while the daily limit guards against the harms of heavy single sessions — which is why the calculator checks them separately.
The guideline is an upper limit to keep risk low, not a target, and staying within it lowers risk without removing it entirely. If you don’t drink, there’s no health reason to start.
These adult limits do not apply to pregnancy, breastfeeding, people under 18, liver disease, alcohol dependence, or anyone advised not to drink — separate guidance applies.
How the Maths Works
The grams of pure alcohol in any drink come from a simple formula:
volume (mL) × %ABV × 0.789 ÷ 100
The 0.789 is the density of alcohol (grams per millilitre). Dividing the result by 10 gives the number of Australian standard drinks. For example, a 425 mL schooner of full-strength beer (4.8%) contains 425 × 4.8 × 0.789 ÷ 100 ≈ 16 grams — about 1.6 standard drinks. The calculator uses average alcohol contents, so always check the label on packaged drinks, which list the standard drinks by law.
Common Questions
How many standard drinks are in a bottle of wine?
About 8 in a 750 mL bottle of red (13.5%) — close to a week’s entire low-risk limit in one bottle.
Is the calculator a blood-alcohol (BAC) estimate?
No. It estimates how much alcohol you consume over time, not your level of intoxication or whether you’re safe to drive.
What if my drinks aren’t listed?
Pick the closest match, or use the label’s stated standard-drink count. The fortified-wine and premix options cover most of the common gaps.
Does a “low-carb” beer have less alcohol?
No — low-carb beers usually have the same alcohol as full-strength beer. The calculator treats them accordingly.
References & further reading
Clinical references- Guideline National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. NHMRC, 2020.
- Position statement National Heart Foundation of Australia. Alcohol and heart health.
- Patient body VicHealth / Alcohol Think Again (WA Health). Standard drink guide.
- Alcohol and heart health — how alcohol affects the heart.
Concerned about alcohol and your heart?
Dr Reza Moazzeni is a consultant cardiologist in Westmead and St Leonards. If alcohol may be affecting your blood pressure, heart rhythm or heart muscle, a review can help. A GP referral is required for all consultations.
Book an appointmentRelated reading: Alcohol and heart health · Alcoholic cardiomyopathy