Standard drink

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A standard drink is fixed measure of pure beverage alcohol used in many countries to calculate alcohol intake. They are usually re-expressed as a measure of beer, wine or spirits for convenience. The definition of a standard drink can vary significantly from country to country, from as low as 10 mL (7.9 g) of alcohol in the UK to as high as 25 mL (19.75 g) in Japan.

The value of one standard drink does not necessarily reflect a typical serving size in its country. In Britain the term unit of alcohol is used instead to underscore this point. For example, a pint of ale (at five percent alcohol by volume) would contain 2.84 units.

[edit] Standard drinks as defined by various countries

Values are for pure alcohol, in grams and millilitres

Country	Weight	Volume
Australia	10 g	12.7 mL
Canada	13.5 g	17.1 mL
Denmark	12 g	15.2 mL
Finland	11 g	13.9 mL
France	12 g	15.2 mL
Hungary	17 g	21.5 mL
Iceland	9.5 g	12 mL
Ireland	10 g	12.7 mL
Italy	10 g	12.7 mL
Japan	19.75 g	25 mL
Netherlands	9.9 g	12.5 mL
New Zealand	10 g	12.7 mL
Poland	10 g	12.7 mL
Portugal	14 g	17.7 mL
Spain	10 g	12.7 mL
UK	7.9 g	10 mL
USA	14 g	17.7 mL (defined as 0.6 fl oz)