BAC Chart

The charts below show estimated BAC levels by body weight and number of US standard drinks (14 g of alcohol each), spread evenly over one hour. They come from Alcophone’s own model — Jackson (2002) body fat + Norberg distribution, with the empty-stomach elimination rate — for a man 5 ft 10 and a woman 5 ft 5, both 30. Each cell is the highest BAC reached.

Men — Estimated BAC (%)

Women — Estimated BAC (%)

Color Legend

Important Notes

• One standard drink = 12 oz beer (5%), 5 oz wine (12%), or 1.5 oz spirits (40%) — the US definition, 14 g of pure alcohol
• Standard drinks are smaller elsewhere: 13.45 g in Canada, 10 g in Australia, India and Ireland, 8 g per UK unit. In Australia, for example, count 1.4 local standard drinks for every drink in this chart
• These estimates assume the drinks are spread evenly over one hour, starting from zero, on an empty stomach
• Actual BAC varies significantly based on body fat %, food intake, hydration, and individual metabolism
• These charts use population averages — for a personalized estimate based on your body composition, use Alcophone
• BAC continues to rise for 30–60 minutes after your last drink
• Legal limit is 0.08% in most US states, 0.05% in Utah — and lower in most other countries: 0.05% in Canada (warn range), Australia, Ireland and Scotland, 0.03% in India. Full tables: USA (50 states + DC) · Canada · Australia · United Kingdom · India · Ireland

Frequently Asked Questions

How many drinks does it take to reach 0.08%?

On the tables above, a 160 lb man crosses 0.08% between his third and fourth drink (0.074% after three, 0.102% after four), and a 140 lb woman crosses it on her third (0.095%). Lighter people get there sooner. The tables assume every drink is finished within one hour, so the same drinks spread over a longer evening give a lower peak. To see where your own number lands, use the free BAC calculator; How long does it take to sober up after 3 beers? runs the same math hour by hour.

Why is BAC higher for women at the same weight?

Alcohol spreads into lean tissue and body water, and very little into fat. At the same weight, women carry more body fat on average, so the same alcohol ends up in a smaller volume. A 1990 study also reported that women break down less alcohol in the stomach, but later studies found this effect small or absent at social-drinking amounts; Alcophone does not model it. Alcohol and your body explains each factor.

How long does it take to get back to zero?

The liver removes roughly 0.010–0.025% BAC per hour, depending on the person, and nothing speeds it up enough to count on. Alcophone assumes the slow end — the empty-stomach rate — so in its model a peak of 0.08% takes about 9½ hours to clear for a man and 8 for a woman, and a peak of 0.12% about 13½ and 11½. That is why a late night can still show up the next morning: see Am I still drunk the morning after? and 8 things that don’t lower your BAC.

Does this chart apply outside the US?

Only partly. The drink counts are US standard drinks of 14 g of alcohol; a Canadian standard drink is 13.45 g, an Australian, Indian or Irish one 10 g and a UK unit 8 g, so one row of the chart means more local drinks. The body-composition averages are US ones too. Driving limits also differ: see the tables for Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, India and Ireland, or the overview in BAC limits around the world.