How many units in a pint depends on the strength: a pint of 4% lager is 2.3 units, a 5% pint is 2.8 and a 3.6% bitter is 2 units. A unit is 10ml of pure alcohol, a pint is 568ml, so you multiply the ABV by 568 and divide by 1,000.
That's the whole sum, and it works on anything behind the bar. It's a question that comes up a lot in December, from drivers, from people doing a dry month, from someone's mate who's been told to "keep it to four units". So below is every common serve worked out, then two things nobody else writing about units mentions: units are exactly what you pay duty on, and in Scotland and Wales they set the lowest price you're allowed to charge.
Units in a pint, by strength
The NHS formula is strength (ABV) times volume in millilitres, divided by 1,000. The NHS lists a 3.6% pint as 2 units and a 5.2% pint as 3. Everything else in this table is the same formula, rounded to one decimal place.
| Pint (568ml) at | Units | Typical pub pour |
|---|---|---|
| 3.4% | 1.9 | Session bitter, mild |
| 3.6% | 2.0 | Lower-strength bitter or lager |
| 3.8% | 2.2 | Best bitter |
| 4.0% | 2.3 | Standard lager, smooth bitter |
| 4.2% | 2.4 | Stout, golden ale |
| 4.5% | 2.6 | Cider, premium bitter |
| 5.0% | 2.8 | Premium lager |
| 5.2% | 3.0 | Stronger lager or cider |
| 5.5% | 3.1 | Strong cider, pale ale |
| 6.5% | 3.7 | Craft IPA |
| 7.5% | 4.3 | Strong cider, double IPA |
Look at the gap between the top and bottom of that table. A pint of 6.5% IPA is nearly two pints of mild. Customers judge a round by the number of glasses, not the number on the pump clip, and that's the bit worth knowing when someone tells you they've "only had three".
Smaller measures scale the same way. A half of 4% lager is 1.1 units. A two-thirds schooner of the same beer is 1.5.
Units in wine, spirits and a bottle
| Serve | Units |
|---|---|
| 125ml wine at 12% | 1.5 |
| 175ml wine at 12% | 2.1 |
| 250ml wine at 12% | 3.0 |
| 175ml wine at 13.5% | 2.4 |
| 250ml wine at 13.5% | 3.4 |
| 750ml bottle of wine at 12% | 9.0 |
| 750ml bottle at 13.5% | 10.1 |
| 25ml single spirit at 40% | 1.0 |
| 25ml single at 37.5% (most gins and vodkas) | 0.9 |
| 35ml single at 40% | 1.4 |
| 50ml double at 40% | 2.0 |
The large glass of wine is the one that catches people out. A 250ml glass of a 13.5% red is 3.4 units, more than a pint of 5% lager. If 250ml is the glass your staff reach for first, your regulars are drinking more than they think on the same number of glasses. That's not a reason to stop. It's a reason to make sure your staff know it when someone asks.
What 14 units a week looks like in pints
The UK guideline is that men and women shouldn't regularly drink more than 14 units a week. In pints of 4% lager that's just over six (6.2). In pints of 3.6% bitter it's just under seven. In 250ml glasses of 13.5% wine it's about four.
I'm not going to preach about it. People are grown-ups, and a pub that lectures its customers soon doesn't have any. But it's useful to know the real numbers, because the customer asking is usually trying to do something sensible, and a straight answer from behind the bar beats a guess off their phone.
Units and driving: don't give a number
This is where I'd be firm with your team. There's no number of units that makes anyone safe to drive, because it depends on weight, food, time and the person. The limit is set in blood, breath and urine, not in units, and it's lower in Scotland. So if a customer asks "can I have two and drive?", the honest answer is "I can't tell you that, but here's what's in it". I've covered the limits, the 50mg consultation and what it would mean for pubs in the drink drive limit guide.
The bit nobody mentions: units are what you pay duty on
Alcohol duty is charged per litre of pure alcohol. A unit is 10ml of pure alcohol, which is a hundredth of a litre. So the duty on one unit is simply the duty rate divided by 100. Once you see that, every price on your bar makes more sense.
| Serve | Units | Duty now | Duty from 1 Feb 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draught pint at 3.6% | 2.0 | 39.8p | 41.6p |
| Draught pint at 4.0% | 2.3 | 44.2p | 46.2p |
| Draught pint at 5.0% | 2.8 | 55.2p | 57.8p |
| Draught pint at 6.5% | 3.7 | 71.8p | 75.1p |
| 500ml bottle of beer at 5% | 2.5 | 56.5p | 59.0p |
| 25ml single at 40% | 1.0 | 34.0p | 35.5p |
| 175ml wine at 12% | 2.1 | 64.3p | 67.2p |
Those use the rates confirmed in the 28 October Budget: draught beer and cider from 3.5% to 8.4% goes from £19.45 to £20.34 per litre of alcohol, non-draught beer from £22.58 to £23.61, spirits over 22% from £33.99 to £35.54, and wine from 8.5% to 22% from £30.62 to £32.01. They're before Small Producer Relief, which brings the duty down on beer from small brewers. My Budget guide has the full table.
Here's why it matters for pricing. If your 4% lager and your 5% lager are on the same price, the stronger one is carrying 11p more duty in every pint before the brewer has added a penny of their own margin. A 6.5% IPA at the same price as your house lager is carrying about 28p more. A lot of pubs price draught in neat bands by brand or by "standard" and "premium". Pricing at least partly by strength is fairer to your margin, and it's a conversation you can have straight with customers: the stronger one costs more because the Treasury charges more for it.
It also changes how you read a cash GP. A 6.5% IPA at £5.60 might show a decent percentage, but check the cash. My GP guide walks through it, and the duty guide has what a keg and a bottle carry.
Scotland and Wales: units set your lowest legal price
Scotland and Wales both have a minimum unit price of 65p. Scotland's went up to 65p on 30 September 2024. Wales went from 50p to 65p on 1 October 2026. The Welsh government says the law "applies to all businesses, organisations and persons required to hold a licence for alcohol", and its formula is 65p times the strength times the volume in litres.
| Serve | Units | Lowest legal price at 65p a unit |
|---|---|---|
| Pint at 4% | 2.3 | £1.48 |
| Pint at 5% | 2.8 | £1.85 |
| 175ml wine at 12% | 2.1 | £1.37 |
| 25ml single at 40% | 1.0 | 65p |
| 70cl bottle of spirits at 40% | 28 | £18.20 |
No pub pint is near £1.48, so on a normal night this never bites. Where it can bite is a promotion. A "free drink" voucher isn't a sale, but a cut-price deal on doubles, a pound-a-shot birthday offer or a "buy one bottle, get one free" on wine for a function can drop the effective price per unit under 65p. If you run a pub in Scotland or Wales, do the sum before the offer goes on the board. The Welsh government has a minimum price calculator on its site.
Five ways to use this behind the bar
Put the strength where people can see it. Pump clips already carry it. Wine lists often don't. Adding the ABV to the wine board costs nothing and answers the question before anyone asks.
Give your team the table. Print the first table above and stick it inside the bar. When a customer asks how many units are in a pint, the answer should be the same whoever's on.
Offer a smaller measure on purpose. A third or a half of your strongest beer, and the 125ml wine glass you're legally required to offer anyway (still wine by the glass has to be available in 125ml), are both easy upsells for the person who wants to stay out longer without drinking more. They're in the drink measures guide.
Stock a proper low and no range. The driver and the dry-month customer still want to be in the pub. The low and no guide covers stocking it without it going out of date on the shelf.
Check your strong lines at stocktake. Stronger beers cost more per pint, so a few pints going missing on a 6.5% line costs more than the same on a 3.6% bitter. If you weigh the variance by cost rather than by pints, the strong lines jump up the list. The acceptable variance guide explains how to read it.
All the unit numbers here are arithmetic from the NHS formula, so you can check any of them yourself. The duty and minimum price figures are from the sources below. This is a licensee's reading, not medical or legal advice.
Common questions
How many units in a pint of lager?
A pint of 4% lager is 2.3 units and a pint of 5% lager is 2.8 units. Multiply the ABV by 568 (the millilitres in a pint) and divide by 1,000.
How many units in a pint of bitter?
A pint of 3.6% bitter is 2 units, a 3.8% best bitter is 2.2 and a 4.2% ale is 2.4.
How many units in a pint of cider?
A pint of 4.5% cider is 2.6 units, a 5.5% cider is 3.1 and a 7.5% strong cider is 4.3.
How many pints is 14 units?
Just over six pints of 4% lager (6.2) or just under seven pints of 3.6% bitter. The UK guideline is not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
How much duty is on a unit of alcohol?
Duty is charged per litre of pure alcohol and a unit is 10ml, so the duty per unit is the rate divided by 100. On draught beer from 3.5% to 8.4% that is 19.45p a unit now and 20.34p from 1 February 2027, so a pint of 4% lager carries 44.2p of duty.
What is the minimum price of a pint in Scotland and Wales?
Both have a minimum unit price of 65p, so a pint of 4% beer (2.3 units) cannot legally be sold for less than £1.48, and a pint of 5% for less than £1.85.
Sources
- One unit is 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, the formula "strength (ABV) x volume (ml) ÷ 1,000 = units", 3.6% pint = 2 units, 5.2% pint = 3 units, wine and spirit examples, and the 14 units a week guideline: NHS, Calculating alcohol units (reviewed 27 August 2024), checked 11 November 2026.
- Duty rates from 1 February 2027 (draught 3.5% to 8.4% £19.45 to £20.34, non-draught beer £22.58 to £23.61, spirits over 22% £33.99 to £35.54, wine 8.5% to 22% £30.62 to £32.01): Budget 28 October 2026, as set out with sources in my Budget 2026 guide.
- Scotland's minimum unit price rising to 65p from 30 September 2024: Scottish Government, Minimum Unit Price rises, and SSI 2024/128.
- Wales rising from 50p to 65p on 1 October 2026: Welsh Government, Minimum unit pricing for alcohol. "Applies to all businesses, organisations and persons required to hold a licence for alcohol" and the formula 0.65 x strength x volume (70cl at 40% = £18.20): Welsh Government, guidance for retailers.
- The units tables, the duty-per-unit sums and the minimum price examples are my arithmetic.