Australia

Blood Alcohol Calculator – Standard Drinks & 0.05% Limit 🇦🇺

Calculate your estimated Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) instantly. Track standard drinks, view sobriety charts, and check your status against the 0.05% Australian legal limit.

0.05% BAC Legal limit

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  • Instant BAC estimate
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ℹ️ Information

CONTEXT
🌎 Country
Show results in
ABOUT YOU
Sex
⚖️ Weight

lbs

⏱️ Start time of drinking (optional) Time of your first drink (not required)

🕒

⏳ Or: hours ago —
0h6h12h18h24h

🍹🍸🍺 Drinks

Drink {{index+1}} 🍷

%

Maximum number of drinks reached.

The results will show up here...
📈 Results
Current BACPeak BAC {{ initialSobriety }}{{ unitSign }} Measured for Now · Legal limit {{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }}
Status:
Above the legal limit – do not drive. Close to the legal limit – driving not recommended. Safe to drive, but stay cautious.
{{ legalLimitTimeLabel }}

Legal limit

{{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }}
Based on AU law ·

Elimination rate

{{ decayRateDisplay }}{{ unitSign }} / h
Assumed average

Standard Drinks

{{ standardDrinks }}🍺
Approx. consumed

Pure Alcohol

{{ results.length > 0 ? results[0].pureAlcoholMl : '0' }} {{ qunits }}
Pure alcohol consumed

Pure Alcohol (g)

{{ alcoholGrams }} g
Total ethanol consumed

Calories

{{ calories }} kcal
From alcohol only — mixers add more

Time over limit

{{ timeOverLimit || '0m' }}
Estimated duration above the legal driving limit
For your own safety, we recommend using a rate no higher than the average.
Current BACPeak BAC {{ initialSobriety }}{{ unitSign }} Measured for Now · Legal limit {{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }}
Status:
Above the legal limit – do not drive. Close to the legal limit – driving not recommended. Safe to drive, but stay cautious.
{{ legalLimitTimeLabel }}
{{ afterLabel }} {{ $t('unit.' + units) }} Status
{{ result.time }} {{ result.drunkenness }}
  • Safe to drive, but stay cautious.
  • Close to the legal limit – driving not recommended.
  • Above the legal limit – do not drive.
Create a pop-up notification
📉 Sobriety Over Time
👮 Health impact and legal consequences
{{ item.title }}
{{ legalLimitTimeLabel }} Sober in: {{ sobrietyTime }} Peak BAC: {{ peakBAC }}

💡 Tips: drink water, eat, and avoid driving until below the legal limit and ideally sober.

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Attention‼️ The results are only approximate, so make sure you are sober before driving.

About results
Current BAC

Your Current BAC shows your estimated blood alcohol concentration right now as a percentage. This number reflects how much alcohol is in your bloodstream and is used to assess impairment.

Legal limit

In Australia, the standard legal driving limit for fully licensed drivers is 0.05% BAC. For learners (L-platers), probationary drivers (P-platers), and truck/bus drivers, the limit is typically 0.00% or 0.02%. Exceeding this can result in drink driving penalties, fines, and licence disqualification.

Elimination rate

This shows the assumed average rate your body metabolizes alcohol — typically ~0.015 % BAC per hour. It’s an estimate of how fast your BAC decreases over time.

Standard Drinks

The number of Standard Drinks represents the approximate number of typical servings you’ve consumed. In Australia, one standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol.

Pure Alcohol

This is the amount of pure alcohol (in ounces/grams) your body has absorbed so far, giving you a measure of total alcohol consumed.

Time vs. Sobriety Table

The table lists how your BAC is expected to change with each hour passed — and when a Start time of drinking is provided, it aligns these estimates with the exact time of day you began drinking. For example, if you started at 6:00 PM, the column will show your projected BAC at 6:00 PM (Now), 7:00 PM (1h), 8:00 PM (2h), etc., so you can clearly see when your BAC is likely to cross legal and safer thresholds as the day progresses. Icons or status indicators show whether the level is safe for driving at those specific clock times, making it easier to plan your departure or rest period.

Sobriety Over Time Graph

A visual line chart plotting your estimated BAC decline over hours. It helps you see when your BAC drops below legal and safer levels.

How Alcohol Affects You

This reference table shows ranges of BAC and typical effects on your body and behaviour — from mild alertness changes to significant impairment at higher levels.

Legal limit reached in / Sober in / Peak BAC

These summaries give quick key estimates:

  • Legal limit reached in: the time until your BAC likely falls below the legal driving limit.

  • Sober in: total time until BAC reaches ~0.000 %.

  • Peak BAC: the highest BAC value recorded in the session.

Data used for calculations

Five factors that determine your result

Weight
Body weight determines how alcohol distributes in the body — more weight means a lower blood alcohol concentration.
Sex
Men and women metabolise alcohol at different rates because of differences in body water content.
Amount
The amount of pure alcohol consumed is the main factor that determines your BAC result.
Strength
A higher strength (%) means more ethanol in the same drink serving.
Time
The time of your first drink shows how BAC changes hour by hour and when you'll be sober again.

How much does Australia drink?

Alcohol consumption per adult, per year

11.2L

litres of pure alcohol per adult (15+), per year

Per adult, that is roughly:

597 beers ≈ 11/week
622 glasses of wine ≈ 12/week
700 shots ≈ 13/week
11.2 L
0.1 L Ø 4.2 11.2 L

169% above the regional average

Ranks #1 of 25 in Western Pacific Ranks #15 of 188 in the World Average in Western Pacific: 4.2 L

How neighbours compare

#1 Australia 11.2L #1 Western Pacific
#2 New Zealand 9.2L #4 Western Pacific
#3 Japan 6.3L #7 Western Pacific
#4 Singapore 2.0L #15 Western Pacific
#5 Malaysia 0.8L #20 Western Pacific
#6 Indonesia 0.1L #25 Western Pacific
LIMITS NEARBY

BAC limits in neighboring countries

Explore the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits for drivers in nearby countries.

NZ

New Zealand

0.05%
Moderate
MY

Malaysia

0.05%
Moderate
SG

Singapore

0.08%
Relaxed
JP

Japan

0.03%
Strict

Drink Driving in Australia

Legal BAC limits for Australian drivers

Full licence holders
0.05%
Moderate
Commercial (truck & bus)
0.02%
Strict
Learner & P-plate drivers
0.00%
Zero tolerance
The 0.05% general limit applies nationally to full licence holders. Learner (L) and provisional (P) drivers must maintain 0.00% BAC. Heavy-vehicle, bus and dangerous-goods drivers are capped at 0.02% (some states require 0.00%). Random Breath Testing is enforced in every state and territory.

Common Penalties in Australia

Consequences of exceeding the legal BAC limit

0.05% – 0.149% BAC (low/mid-range)
  • Fine AUD 400–2,000+ for first offence
  • Licence disqualification 3–12 months
  • Vehicle impoundment common at mid-range (24–48 hours+)
0.15%+ BAC (high-range / aggravated)
  • Fine AUD 1,500–6,000+ — criminal offence in most states
  • Disqualification 12 months to multi-year
  • Mandatory impoundment 28+ days; imprisonment up to 2 years possible

Tips for Responsible Drinking

Practical tips for safer drinking

Pace yourself
Stick to the "one drink per hour" rule – your liver needs time to process alcohol.
Eat before and while drinking
A solid meal slows alcohol absorption – an empty stomach raises BAC faster.
Drink water
After each alcoholic drink, have a glass of water – it reduces dehydration and health risks.
Don't drive
Even small amounts of alcohol impair reaction time. If in doubt, call a taxi or stay overnight.

Source: Australian Government Department of Health.

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