How many units in a pint of beer?
The UK unit count for any pint, half or can, from volume and ABV, using the NHS formula.
A UK pint is 568 ml, so a pint of 4% beer is 2.3 UK units and a pint of 5% lager is 2.8 units. A strong 7% craft IPA reaches 4 units in a single pint.
The units in a pint of beer depend almost entirely
on strength, because the pint itself is fixed by law at 568 ml in the
UK. A UK unit is 10 mL (8 g) of pure alcohol, so the sum is
volume × ABV ÷ 1000. Set the volume to 284 for a half,
or 440 for a standard can.
| ABV | Typical beer | Units per pint | Share of weekly 14 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6% | Session bitter, mild | 2.0 | 15% |
| 4% | Real ale, Guinness | 2.3 | 16% |
| 4.5% | Amber ale | 2.6 | 18% |
| 5% | Stella, Peroni, Kronenbourg | 2.8 | 20% |
| 5.5% | Strong lager, pale ale | 3.1 | 22% |
| 6% | Craft pale ale | 3.4 | 24% |
| 7% | Craft IPA | 4.0 | 28% |
| 8% | Double IPA, imperial stout | 4.5 | 32% |
| Serving | Volume | Units at 4% | Units at 5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half pint | 284 mL | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Small bottle | 330 mL | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Standard can | 440 mL | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Large can | 500 mL | 2.0 | 2.5 |
| Pint | 568 mL | 2.3 | 2.8 |
A pint has never been one unit
The single most common error in unit counting is treating a pint as one unit. It never has been. When the unit system was introduced, the rough guide was that half a pint of ordinary-strength beer was one unit, and beer has got stronger since. Even the weakest session bitter on the bar is 2 units a pint, and a standard lager is 2.8.
The practical consequence: someone counting five pints of lager as five units is actually on 14, the entire weekly guideline, in a single evening. That gap is why the number surprises people the first time they run it.
Cans and bottles are not pints
A 440 ml can is roughly three-quarters of a pint, and a 330 ml bottle is closer to half. A four-pack of 440 ml cans at 5% is 8.8 units, which is more than a bottle of wine. Supermarket multipacks make this easy to lose track of, because nothing about the packaging invites you to add it up.
Against the weekly guideline
The UK Chief Medical Officers advise no more than 14 units a week. That is about six pints of 4% beer, or just under five pints of 5% lager, for the whole week. The guidance also suggests spreading those units over three or more days and keeping several drink-free days, so five pints on a Saturday is a different risk profile from five spread across the week, even at the same total.
How this calculator works
The math: units = volume (mL) × ABV ÷ 1000. A "unit" here is the UK unit, defined by the NHS as 10 mL or 8 g of pure alcohol. A UK pint is 568 mL, fixed by weights and measures law. The weekly-share figure compares the total against the UK Chief Medical Officers' 14-unit low-risk guideline, which is a guideline, not a threshold below which drinking carries no risk.
Full formulas and citations live on the methodology page.
Units in a pint of beer: questions people ask
How many units are in a pint of lager?
Standard 5% lagers such as Stella, Kronenbourg or Peroni come to 2.8 UK units per pint. Weaker 4.2% lagers like Carling are about 2.4 units. That makes five pints of 5% lager the whole 14-unit weekly guideline.
How many units are in a can of beer?
It depends on can size. A 440 mL can of 4% beer is 1.8 UK units and the same can at 5% is 2.2 units. A 330 mL bottle at 5% is 1.7 units, and a 500 mL can at 4.5% is 2.3 units. Cans are smaller than a 568 mL pint, so a can is not a pint.
How many pints is 14 units?
About six pints of 4% beer, or just under five pints of 5% lager. That is the entire UK weekly low-risk guideline, which the guidance suggests spreading over three or more days with several drink-free days.
Is a pint of beer one unit?
No, and this is a common and costly misunderstanding. A pint has been more than one unit for decades. Even the weakest session bitter at 3.6% is 2 units per pint, and a typical lager is 2.8. Counting pints as single units understates your intake by roughly two-thirds.
How many units in a pint of Guinness?
Guinness Draught is 4.1% ABV in the UK, so a pint is 2.3 units, the same as most real ales. Its reputation as a lighter drink comes from the low carbonation and thick head, not from a lower alcohol content.
Is a UK pint the same as a US pint?
No. A UK pint is 568 mL; a US pint is 473 mL, about 17% smaller. A US pint of 5% beer is 2.4 UK units against 2.8 for the UK pint. Use the standard drinks calculator for the US 14 g figure.