🍺 Blood Alcohol Calculator

Blood alcohol in Australia — what the numbers mean

Australia's legal driving limit is 0.05% BAC (blood alcohol concentration) for full licence holders. Victoria was the first state to introduce this limit in 1968; all states and territories now use it. Learner and P-plate drivers must maintain a 0.00 BAC — zero alcohol.

BAC rises as you drink and falls as your liver processes alcohol. The average rate of processing is about one standard drink per hour — but this varies significantly between individuals based on weight, sex, food consumption, and genetics.

• What's a standard drink? In Australia, one standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol. A 375ml can of mid-strength beer (3.5%) is 1 standard drink. A 150ml glass of wine (13%) is about 1.5 standard drinks. A 30ml nip of spirits is 1 standard drink.
• Food slows absorption: Eating before and while drinking slows the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, reducing peak BAC. It doesn't reduce how much alcohol your body must process.
• Sex matters: Women generally reach higher BAC than men of the same weight from the same amount of alcohol — partly due to lower body water percentage and differences in alcohol-metabolising enzymes.
• Morning-after risk: If you drink heavily late at night, you may still be over the limit the next morning. BAC calculators can give a rough guide but aren't a substitute for not driving if you're unsure.