Standard drinks calculator (Australia)
One Australian standard drink = 10 grams of pure alcohol. Enter any drink below to see exactly how many standard drinks you're really holding.
Calculate any drink
Formula: volume (L) × ABV% × 0.789 = grams of alcohol ÷ 10 = standard drinks.
What is a standard drink?
In Australia, a standard drink is any drink containing 10 grams of pure alcohol (about 12.5 mL). It's the unit used across Australian health guidelines, and by law every bottle, can and cask of packaged alcohol sold in Australia must state how many standard drinks it contains.
The catch: almost nothing you're actually served is exactly one standard drink. A schooner is 1.6. A typical restaurant pour of wine is 1.5. A generous gin and tonic at home can be 2 or more. This is why most people underestimate how much they drink.
Common Australian drinks in standard drinks
| Drink | Size | Strength | Standard drinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pot / middy of full-strength beer | 285 mL | 4.8% | 1.1 |
| Schooner of full-strength beer | 425 mL | 4.8% | 1.6 |
| Can or stubby of full-strength beer | 375 mL | 4.8% | 1.4 |
| Can of mid-strength beer | 375 mL | 3.5% | 1.0 |
| Restaurant glass of wine | 150 mL | 13% | 1.5 |
| Small glass of wine | 100 mL | 13% | 1.0 |
| Glass of sparkling | 150 mL | 12% | 1.4 |
| Nip of spirits | 30 mL | 40% | 0.95 |
| Premix can / RTD | 375 mL | 5% | 1.5 |
| Bottle of wine | 750 mL | 13% | 7.7 |
Why counting standard drinks is hard in practice
Labels help with packaged drinks, but poured drinks are where counts fall apart. Wine glasses vary from 100 mL to 250 mL pours. Cocktails can contain anywhere from one to four standard drinks. Craft beers range from 3.5% to 9% ABV — a pint of 8% IPA is nearly 3 standard drinks, double a pint of mid-strength.
The practical fix is to log drinks as you go rather than reconstructing the night afterwards. That's exactly what the Drink Buddy app is built for — tap the drink you're having and it tallies your standard drinks and estimated BAC in real time, and warns you as you approach your daily or weekly limit.
Frequently asked questions
What is a standard drink in Australia?
A drink containing 10 grams of pure alcohol. It's the basis of Australian health guidelines and appears on every packaged alcohol label.
How do I calculate standard drinks manually?
Volume in litres × ABV% × 0.789. A 375 mL can at 4.8% is 0.375 × 4.8 × 0.789 ≈ 1.4 standard drinks.
How many standard drinks per week is safe?
Australian guidelines recommend no more than 10 per week and no more than 4 on any one day for healthy adults. No level of drinking is completely risk-free.
Is a glass of wine one standard drink?
Rarely. Only a 100 mL pour of 13% wine equals one standard drink — most pours are 1.5 or more.
Sources
Written by the Trendy Publishing editorial team. This is general information only, not medical or legal advice — check with your doctor, pharmacist or the relevant authority for your situation.
- Australian Government Department of Health — Standard drinks guide
- NHMRC — Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand — Labelling of alcoholic beverages