What Is a Standard Drink? Sizes, ABV and How to Count

By the DrinkLeader team · Published 2026-09-26 · Data updated 2026-09-26 · 7 min read

A standard drink in the United States is any drink containing about 14 grams, or 0.6 fluid ounces, of pure alcohol. The usual examples are a 12 oz regular beer at 5% ABV, a 5 oz glass of wine at 12% ABV, and a 1.5 oz shot of 40% ABV (80-proof) spirits, per NIAAA and the CDC. Drinks that differ in size or strength do not always equal one standard drink.

The US definition

The 14 gram figure is the same across the three classic examples, even though the volumes differ a lot. Beer has less alcohol per ounce than wine, and wine less than spirits, so you need a bigger pour to reach the same amount of alcohol. The CDC also lists 8 oz of 7% malt liquor as one standard drink.

• Beer: 12 fl oz at about 5% ABV
• Wine: 5 fl oz at about 12% ABV
• Distilled spirits: 1.5 fl oz at 40% ABV (80 proof)

Many real-world drinks do not match those examples. A pint of craft IPA, a generous restaurant wine pour, a tall canned cocktail, or a double whiskey can each hold more than one.

How to calculate standard drinks

You need the serving volume and the ABV. Ethanol weighs about 0.789 grams per milliliter, and one fluid ounce is about 29.57 mL.

1. Convert the serving to milliliters: ounces x 29.57.
2. Multiply by ABV as a decimal (5% is 0.05) to get milliliters of pure alcohol.
3. Multiply by 0.789 to get grams of alcohol.
4. Divide by 14 to get standard drinks.

Example: a 12 oz can at 5% ABV is 12 x 29.57 x 0.05 x 0.789 / 14, which is about 1.0. A 16 oz can at 8% is about 2.1. The tables below use this same formula on live catalog data.

Standard drinks in common catalog servings

Regular-strength beers and 80-proof spirits cluster near one standard drink per serving, as the definition suggests. Lower-ABV drinks such as light beers can come in below one, and stronger ones come in above.

High-ABV drinks and large cans

ABV differences add up quickly. Here are the strongest alcoholic drinks in the catalog by listed ABV, with the number of standard drinks in the listed serving.

Cans are the other place counts go wrong, because the volume can be much bigger than 12 oz. These large cans (16 oz or more) are among the stronger canned drinks in the catalog:

Strong seltzers are the milder version of the same effect. At 12 oz a higher-ABV seltzer is already over one standard drink:

A single-serve can that looks like "one drink" may hold two or more standard drinks. Labels do not always say so, so it helps to do the math.

Why a single container can hold several drinks

The definition is about alcohol, not about the container. A bottle of wine holds roughly five standard drinks at 12% ABV, a 16 oz tallboy at 8% holds about two, and a 23.5 oz can at 14% holds more than five. Nothing on a typical label converts this for you, which is why the same "one can" can mean very different amounts of alcohol depending on the product. If you want to compare drinks on equal footing, use the standard drinks column in the tables on this page, or look at the drink's own page for its ABV and serving size.

Lower-strength drinks work the other way. Many light beers and lower-ABV seltzers land below one standard drink per can, and our low-ABV list collects them. Whatever the drink, the count is the same: grams of pure alcohol divided by 14.

Reading labels: ABV and proof

In the US, ABV is printed as a percentage of the liquid that is alcohol, and spirits are often labeled with proof as well, which is twice the ABV (80 proof is 40% ABV). Beer and canned drinks usually show ABV, with the volume printed in fluid ounces or milliliters. If a label shows 355 mL, that is the 12 oz can. A 500 mL can is about 16.9 oz, and a 750 mL wine bottle is about 25.4 oz, or roughly five 5 oz pours.

Restaurant and home pours are frequently bigger than the reference sizes. A 6 oz glass of 13% wine is about 1.3 standard drinks, and a 16 oz pint of 6% beer is about 1.6. Because the definition is per amount of pure alcohol, the practical way to compare drinks is the formula above rather than counting glasses.

Standard drinks and calories

Because a standard drink always has about 14 g of alcohol, and alcohol provides roughly 7 kcal per gram, the alcohol in each standard drink is about 98 kcal. Any calories beyond that come from carbohydrate or additional alcohol. The calories in alcohol guide breaks this down by drink type.

Count your own drinks

The My List tool lets you collect drinks and see their totals, including standard drinks, in one place. It also compares carbs and calories side by side, and it keeps the list on your device. This page is information, not medical advice.