Standard drinks guide
Standard drinks are a way to keep track of how much alcohol you're really drinking. To find out how many standard drinks you're having, check your drink label. You can also use our handy guide, try a standard drinks calculator or ask staff.
What are standard drinks?
Standard drinks are a way to measure how much alcohol you drink.
Drinks come in different sizes and some are stronger than others. They have different amounts of alcohol in them.
A standard drink is always equal to 10 g of pure alcohol.
How many standard drinks are you having?
Find out the approximate number of standard drinks in different serves of alcohol.
Beer
Small glass of beer
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![Small glass of beer]()
Full strength beer
285ml 4.8%1.1
standard drinks
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![Small glass of beer]()
Mid strength beer
285ml 3.5%0.8
standard drinks
-
![Small glass of beer]()
Low strength beer
285ml 2.7%0.6
standard drinks
Large glass of beer
-
![Large glass of beer]()
Full strength beer
425ml 4.8%1.6
standard drinks
-
![Large glass of beer]()
Mid strength beer
425ml 3.5%1.2
standard drinks
-
![Large glass of beer]()
Low strength beer
425ml 2.7%0.9
standard drinks
Bottles and cans of beer
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![Bottle of full strength beer]()
Full strength beer
375ml 4.8%1.4
standard drinks
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![Bottle of mid strength beer]()
Mid strength beer
375ml 3.5%1.0
standard drinks
-
![Bottle of light beer]()
Low strength beer
375ml 2.7%0.8
standard drinks
-
![Can of full strength beer]()
Full strength beer
375ml 4.8%1.4
standard drinks
-
![Can of mid strength beer]()
Mid strength beer
375ml 3.5%1.0
standard drinks
-
![Can of light beer]()
Low strength beer
375ml 2.7%0.8
standard drinks
Case of beer
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![Case of full strength beer]()
Full strength
24 x 375ml 4.8%34
standard drinks
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![Case of mid strength beer]()
Mid strength
24 x 375ml 3.5%24
standard drinks
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![Case of light beer]()
Low strength
24 x 375ml) 2.7%19
standard drinks
Wine
Red wine and port
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![Glass of red wine - restaurant size]()
Average restaurant serving of red wine
150ml 13.5%1.6
standard drinks
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![Glass of red wine]()
Standard serve of red wine
100ml 13.5%1.0
standard drinks
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![Bottle of red wine]()
Bottle of red wine
750ml 13.5%8
standard drinks
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![Cask of red wine - 4 litres]()
Cask of red wine
4 litres 13.5%43
standard drinks
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![Cask of red wine - 2 litre]()
Cask of red wine
2 litres 13.5%21
standard drinks
-
![Glass of port]()
Standard serve of port
60ml 17.5%0.9
standard drinks
-
![Cask of port]()
Cask of port
2 litres 17.5%28
standard drinks
White wine
-
![Glass of white wine - restaurant]()
Average restaurant serving of white wine
150ml 11.5%1.4
standard drinks
-
![Glass of white wine]()
Standard serve of white wine
100ml 11.5%0.9
standard drinks
-
![Bottle of white wine]()
Bottle of white wine
750ml 11.5%6.8
standard drinks
-
![Cask of white wine - 4 litres]()
Cask of white wine
4 litres 11.5%36
standard drinks
-
![Cask of white wine - 2 litres]()
Cask of white wine
2 litres 11.5%18
standard drinks
Champagne
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![Glass of champagne]()
Average restaurant serve of champagne
150ml 12%1.4
standard drinks
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![Bottle of champagne]()
Bottle of champagne
750ml 12%7.1
standard drinks
Spirits
Straight spirits
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![Glass of spirits]()
High strength
30ml 40%1.0
standard drink
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![Bottle of spirits]()
High strength bottle
700ml 40%22
standard drink
Ready to drink spirits
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![Small bottle of full strength ready to drink alcohol]()
Full strength
275ml 5.0%1.1
standard drinks
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![Medium bottle of full strength ready to drink alcohol]()
Full strength
330ml 5.0%1.2
standard drinks
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![Large bottle of full strength ready to drink alcohol]()
Full strength
660ml 5.0%2.6
standard drinks
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![Small bottle of high strength ready to drink alcohol]()
High strength
275ml 7.0%1.5
standard drinks
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![Medium bottle of high strength ready to drink alcohol]()
High strength
330ml 7.0%1.8
standard drinks
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![Large bottle of high strength ready to drink alcohol]()
High strength
660ml 7.0%3.6
standard drinks
Pre-mixed spirits
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![Small can of full strength premix spirits]()
Full strength
250ml 5.0%1.0
standard drink
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![Medium can of full strength premix spirits]()
Full strength
300ml 5.0%1.2
standard drinks
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![Medium can of full strength premix spirits]()
Full strength
375ml 5.0%1.5
standard drinks
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![Large can of full strength premix spirits]()
Full strength
440ml 5.0%1.7
standard drinks
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![Small can of high strength premix spirits]()
High strength
250ml 7.0% - 10%1.4 - 1.9
standard drinks
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![Medium can of high strength premix spirits]()
High strength
300ml 7.0%1.6
standard drinks
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![Medium can of high strength premix spirits]()
High strength
375ml 7.0%2.1
standard drinks
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![Large can of high strength premix spirits]()
High strength
440ml 7.0%2.4
standard drinks
Why count standard drinks?
Counting standard drinks can help you to drink as safely as possible.
You can compare your drinking against the Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol, which are based on standard drinks.
Other ways to check standard drinks
- Read your drink label — all containers of alcohol in Australia must show the number of standard drinks they contain
- Use an online calculator — there are a few available, including the Drinks Calculator and the Standard Drink Calculator
- Ask the bar or restaurant staff — they can usually tell you about the drinks they serve.
Be careful if you’re drinking home brew or any other alcohol that isn’t labelled. If you don’t know the concentration of alcohol, you won’t be able to work out the number of standard drinks you're having.