Standard drink - wikipedia Standard drink United States standard drinks of beer, malt liquor, wine, and spirits compared. A standard drink is a measure of alcohol consumption representing a hypothetical beverage which contains a fixed amount of pure alcohol. A standard drink varies in volume depending on the alcohol concentration of the beverage ( for example, a standard drink of spirits takes up much less space than a standard drink of beer ), but it always contains the same amount of alcohol and therefore produces the same amount of drunkenness. The standard drink is used in relation to recommendations about alcohol consumption and its relative risks to health. Many government health guidelines specify low to high risk amounts in units of grams of pure alcohol per day, week, or single occasion. The concept of the standard drink is meant to help visualize and estimate the absolute alcohol content of various drink concentrations and serving sizes. For example, in the United States, a standard drink contains about 14 grams of alcohol. This corresponds to a 12 - US - fluid - ounce ( 350 ml ) glass of beer, a 5 - US - fluid - ounce ( 150 ml ) glass of 12 % wine, or a 1.5 - US - fluid - ounce ( 44 ml ) glass of spirit. Different countries define standard drinks differently. For example, in Australia, a standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol, but in Japan, it contains nearly 20 grams. In addition, a standard drink is often different from normal serving size in the country in which it is served. Labeling is usually required to give an indication of alcoholic content of a serving. Australia requires that `` the label on a package of an alcoholic beverage must include a statement of the number of standard drinks in the package ''. The term `` standard drink '' was used in the United Kingdom in the first guidelines ( 1984 ) that published `` safe limits '' for drinking, but this was replaced by reference to `` alcohol units '' in the 1987 guidelines and that term has been used in all subsequent UK guidance. A unit of alcohol is defined there as 10 millilitres ( 8 grams ) of pure alcohol. This definition is independent of the strength ( % ABV ) and amount ( volume ) of any individual alcoholic beverage. The number of units of alcohol in a bottle or can ( and, optionally, the number of units in a typical serving ) are indicated on the drink container. Typical servings deliver 1 -- 3 units of alcohol. Contents 1 Definitions in various countries 2 Calculation of pure alcohol mass in a serving 3 Time to metabolise 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Definitions in various countries The amount of alcohol is stated in the table in both grams and millilitres. The number of standard drinks contained in 500ml of beer of 5 % ABV ( a typical large drink of beer ) is stated for comparison. Country Mass ( g ) Volume ( mL ) 500 mL of 5 % ABV beer is Australia 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks Austria 20 25.3 1.0 standard drinks Canada 13.6 17.2 1.4 standard drinks Denmark 12 15.2 1.6 standard drinks Finland 12 15.2 1.6 standard drinks France 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks Germany 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks Hong Kong 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks Hungary 17 21.5 1.2 standard drinks Iceland 8 10 2.5 standard drinks Ireland 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks Italy 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks Japan 19.75 25 1.0 standard drinks Netherlands 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks New Zealand 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks Poland 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks Portugal 14 17.7 1.4 standard drinks Spain 10 12.7 2.0 standard drinks Switzerland 12 15.2 1.6 standard drinks United Kingdom 8 10 2.5 units of alcohol United States 14 17.7 1.4 standard drinks Calculation of pure alcohol mass in a serving Pure alcohol mass in a serving can be calculated if concentration, density and volume are known. P u r e a l c o h o l m a s s = v o l u m e × ( a l c o h o l b y v o l u m e × v o l u m e t r i c m a s s d e n s i t y ) ( displaystyle Pure alcohol mass = volume \times ( alcohol \by \volume \times \volumetric mass density ) ) For example, 0.35 litre glass of beer with ABV of 5.5 % has 15.2 grams of pure alcohol. Pure alcohol has density of 789.24 g / l ( at 20 ° C ). 0.35 l × ( 0.055 × 789.24 g / l ) ≈ 15.2 g ( displaystyle 0.35 l \times ( 0.055 \times 789.24 g / l ) approx 15.2 g ) When drink size is in fluid ounces ( which differ between the UK and the US ), the following conversions can be used : Country Volume of fl. oz. ( mL ) Mass of fl. oz. of alcohol ( g ) UK 28.4130625 22.425 US 29.5735295625 23.341 One should bear in mind that a pint in the UK is 20 UK fluid ounces, whereas a pint in the US is only 16 US fluid ounces. Time to metabolise On average, it takes about one hour for the body to metabolise ( break down ) one standard drink as defined by U.S. guidelines ( i.e. 12 ounces of 5 % beer, 5 ounces of 12 % wine, or 1.5 ounces of 40 % liquor ). However, this can vary with body weight, sex, age, personal metabolic rate, recent food intake, the type and strength of the alcohol, and medications taken. Alcohol may be metabolised more slowly if liver function is impaired. See also Liquor portal Drink portal Unit of alcohol References Explanatory notes Jump up ^ Assuming that beer is 5 % alcohol by volume, wine is 12 %, and spirits is 40 % ( 80 proof ). Most wine today is a bit higher than 12 %, which used to be the standard ; 80 proof is still the standard for spirits, though higher alcohol content is not uncommon. Jump up ^ 16.9 fl oz ; just over 1 US pint Jump up ^ defined as 0.6 fl oz Citations Jump up ^ 14 grams of alcohol is 0.6 US fluid ounces or 18 mL. Jump up ^ rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov, US NIH Web site : What 's a `` standard '' drink ? ^ Jump up to : Guide to Labelling of Alcoholic Beverages Jump up ^ Mongan, Deirdre ; Long, Jean ( May 22, 2015 ). `` Standard drink measures throughout Europe ; peoples ' understanding of standard drinks and their use in drinking guidelines, alcohol surveys and labelling '' ( PDF ). Reducing Alcohol Related Harm. p. 8. Retrieved September 26, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Alcohol guidelines, Eleventh Report of Session 2010 -- 12 '' ( PDF ). UK Parliament. House of Commons, Science and Technology Committee. 7 December 2011. p. 7. Retrieved 13 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` Drinkaware - What is an alcohol unit ? ''. Jump up ^ `` How long does alcohol stay in your blood ? ''. NHS Choices. Retrieved 11 February 2015. ^ Jump up to : UK NHS : How long does alcohol stay in your blood ?, reviewed 2013 Jump up ^ ICAP Report 5 - `` What is a ' standard drink ' ''. URL : ( 1 ). Accessed on June 19, 2008. Jump up ^ Population Health Division, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing The Australian Standard Drink ^ Jump up to : `` Drinking Guidelines : General Population ''. IARD.org. International Alliance for Responsible Drinking. Retrieved 23 June 2016. Jump up ^ Canadian Public Health Association. URL : ( 2 ). 2006. Jump up ^ Centre for Addiction and Mental Health / Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale Low - Risk Drinking Guidelines Jump up ^ paihdelinkki.fi, How to use alcohol wisely ^ Jump up to : Drinking and You Drinking guidelines -- units of alcohol Archived 2007 - 02 - 08 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Was ist ein Standardglas ? '' ( What is a standard drink ? ). Alkohol ? Kenn dein Limit. ( in German ). Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung. Retrieved September 26, 2017. Jump up ^ Department of Health Alcohol and Health : Hong Kong Situation Jump up ^ Landlæknisembættið, Icelandic Directorate of Health Jump up ^ Hope, A. ( 2009 ). A Standard Drink in Ireland : What strength ? ( PDF ). Health Service Executive. Retrieved 2 February 2015. Jump up ^ New Zealand Food Safety Authority Jump up ^ Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand ( ALAC ) What 's in a Standard Drink Jump up ^ PRODIGY Knowledge ( Department of Health ) Alcohol and Sensible Drinking Jump up ^ `` Alcohol and Public Health : Frequently Asked Questions ''. CDC. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 17. External links Online converter between different countries ' standard drinks and units Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Standard_drink&oldid=802443498 '' Categories : Units of volume Alcohol measurement Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 German - language sources ( de ) Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Dansk Nederlands Polski Português Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 26 September 2017, at 05 : 14. About Wikipedia

Question: how many units of alcohol in a 12 oz beer
Answer: 14 grams of alcohol