Measurement
What ABV means on an Australian label
Alcohol by volume is a percentage, not a personality. It is the number you need before you can count standard drinks.
- On the label
- %
- In the formula
- × 0.789
- NHMRC full-strength beer example
- ~4.9%
- NHMRC spirits example
- ~40%
ABV means alcohol by volume: the percentage of the drink that is pure alcohol. A beer labelled 4.9% and a spirit labelled 40% are using the same scale. ABV is the input to litres × ABV × 0.789 — or, more simply, to the standard-drink statement already printed on most Australian packaging.
Definition
Alcohol by volume (ABV). The percentage of a drink’s volume that is ethanol. It is printed on Australian labels and used with volume to estimate standard drinks. It is not a serving suggestion.
ABV versus standard drinks
| Compare | What ABV tells you | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Strength of the liquid | The percentage of volume that is alcohol. | How intoxicated you will feel, or whether you are legal to drive. |
| Comparing products | A 4.9% beer and a 13% wine can be compared once you also know the serve size. | Which product is “better” or safer. Grams decide the count, not the style name. |
| Low-alcohol claims | A lower percentage usually means fewer grams in the same volume. | That a “light” can is automatically one standard drink — read the label. |
Questions
Questions people actually ask
Alcohol by volume — the percentage of the drink that is pure alcohol. It is the number on the label and the input to standard-drink maths.
Put ABV next to the serve
Once you have the percentage and the millilitres, the standard-drinks page turns them into a count you can put beside the NHMRC numbers.