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Brazil

Alcohol Calculator Brazil 🇧🇷

Estimate your blood alcohol level (BAC), track standard drinks consumed, and see exactly when you'll be sober enough to drive. Test your alcoolemia with our realistic breathalyzer simulator.

0 g/dL Legal limit

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Drunk driving in Brazil — 0 g/dL

The Brazilian Traffic Code (Lei Seca, CTB art. 165 and art. 306) applies absolute zero tolerance. Any detected alcohol is an administrative offence; from 0.6 g/L blood (or 0.34 mg/L breath) it becomes a crime with 6 months to 3 years detention. Signs of intoxication alone can also support an autuação even without an exact reading.

ℹ️ Your Information

CONTEXT
🌎 Country
Show results in
ABOUT YOU
Sex
⚖️ Weight

lbs

⏱️ Start of consumption (optional) Time of your first drink (optional)

🕒

⏳ Or: hours ago —
0h6h12h18h24h

🍹🍸🍺 Drinks

Drink {{ index+1 }}

{{ drinkSummary(drink) }}

%

≈ {{ servingHint(drink) }}

Maximum number of drinks reached.

Results will appear here...
📈 Results
Current BACPeak BAC {{ initialSobriety }}{{ unitSign }} Legal limit {{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }}
Safe Caution Impaired Intoxicated Dangerous
Above legal limit – do not drive. Close to legal limit – driving not recommended. Within legal limit, but stay alert when driving.
{{ legalLimitTimeLabel }}
Sober in: {{ sobrietyTime }}

Drunk driving in Brazil

All drivers 0.0 g/dL

Common penalties in Brazil

Offence type No offence Below the legal limit – driving is permitted.
Offence type Over the 0.0 limit Zero-tolerance country — driving with any detectable alcohol is prohibited.
Offence type Over the legal limit You are over the legal limit and committing a drink-driving offence. Exact penalties depend on your BAC and local law.
Offence type Administrative infraction (art. 165) Any alcohol detected (CTB art. 165) Administrative offence — fine and licence points possible.
Typical penalties
  • Very serious administrative infraction — 10× fine (R$ 2,934.70)
  • 12-month suspension of right to drive
  • Vehicle retention; driver's licence document collected
Offence type Traffic crime (art. 306) ≥ 0.6 g/L blood (CTB art. 306) Criminal offence — may result in a criminal record.
Typical penalties
  • Traffic crime — detention from 6 months to 3 years + fine
  • Suspension or prohibition to obtain a licence
  • Criminal record; aggravated charges if accident with injury or death
These are general penalties. Actual consequences may vary by local law and circumstances. Learn more →

Legal limit

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Based on Brazilian law ·

Elimination rate

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Assumed average

Standard drinks

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Approximately 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 }} Legal limit {{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }}
Safe Caution Impaired Intoxicated Dangerous
Above legal limit – do not drive. Close to legal limit – driving not recommended. Within legal limit, but stay alert when driving.
{{ legalLimitTimeLabel }}
Sober in: {{ sobrietyTime }}

Drunk driving in Brazil

All drivers 0.0 g/dL

Common penalties in Brazil

Offence type No offence Below the legal limit – driving is permitted.
Offence type Over the 0.0 limit Zero-tolerance country — driving with any detectable alcohol is prohibited.
Offence type Over the legal limit You are over the legal limit and committing a drink-driving offence. Exact penalties depend on your BAC and local law.
Offence type Administrative infraction (art. 165) Any alcohol detected (CTB art. 165) Administrative offence — fine and licence points possible.
Typical penalties
  • Very serious administrative infraction — 10× fine (R$ 2,934.70)
  • 12-month suspension of right to drive
  • Vehicle retention; driver's licence document collected
Offence type Traffic crime (art. 306) ≥ 0.6 g/L blood (CTB art. 306) Criminal offence — may result in a criminal record.
Typical penalties
  • Traffic crime — detention from 6 months to 3 years + fine
  • Suspension or prohibition to obtain a licence
  • Criminal record; aggravated charges if accident with injury or death
These are general penalties. Actual consequences may vary by local law and circumstances. Learn more →
{{ afterLabel }} {{ $t('unit.' + units) }} Status
{{ result.time }} {{ result.drunkenness }}
  • Within legal limit, but stay alert when driving.
  • Close to legal limit – driving not recommended.
  • Above legal limit – do not drive.
Create a pop-up notification

Sobriety variation over time

Your estimated BAC as your body clears the alcohol

Sober in {{ sobrietyTime }}
  • {{ lookaheadBacDisplay }}{{ unitSign }} Above legal limit – do not drive. Close to legal limit – driving not recommended. Within legal limit, but stay alert when driving.
  • {{ $t('unit.' + units) }}
  • Legal limit ({{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }})
👮 Health impact and legal consequences
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Peak BAC: {{ peakBAC }}

💡 Tips: drink water, eat food, and avoid driving until you are below the legal limit and preferably completely sober.

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Warning‼️ Results are approximate only; make sure you are sober before driving.

About results
Current BAC

Your Current BAC is the estimated alcohol in your blood, shown in g/L (the same value as ‰) or as a percentage. A roadside bafômetro reads breath; the law works from both breath and blood figures.

Legal limit

Brazil’s Lei Seca (CTB arts. 165 and 306) applies absolute zero tolerance. Any detected alcohol is an administrative offence with a heavy fine, licence suspension and vehicle retention; from 0.6 g/L of blood (0.34 mg/L breath) it becomes a crime punishable by six months to three years’ detention. Visible signs of intoxication alone can support an autuação even without an exact reading.

Elimination rate

The body removes alcohol at a roughly fixed 0.15 g/L an hour (about 0.015% BAC), and nothing speeds it up — a cafezinho, a cold shower or food change how you feel, not the reading. After a long night you can still test positive the next morning, and under Lei Seca positive means over the limit.

Standard Drinks

A Brazilian standard drink is about 13 g of pure alcohol — a 350 ml lata of 5% beer, a 150 ml glass of wine, or a 40 ml dose of cachaça or spirits. This total converts what you drank into comparable units.

Pure Alcohol

The total pure alcohol (ethanol) your body has absorbed, in grams — the basis for both your standard-drink count and your BAC.

Time vs. Sobriety Table

The table projects your BAC each hour, and with your first-drink time it maps them onto the clock — useful the morning after, showing when your reading finally returns to zero, the only lawful level to drive on. Status icons mark the safe hours.

Sobriety Over Time Graph

A line chart of your BAC falling over the hours ahead, showing when it reaches zero — the only reading you can lawfully drive on under Lei Seca.

How Alcohol Affects You

A reference table matching BAC ranges to their typical effects on judgement, coordination and reaction time — impairment that appears from the very first drink.

Legal limit reached in / Sober in / Peak BAC

Quick summary estimates:

  • Legal limit reached in: under Lei Seca this is the same as “Sober in”, because the limit is zero.

  • Sober in: time until your BAC returns to ~0.00 g/L.

  • Peak BAC: the highest level reached 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 Brazil drink?

Alcohol consumption per adult, per year

9.4L

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

Per adult, that is roughly:

537 beers ≈ 10/week
522 glasses of wine ≈ 10/week
588 shots ≈ 11/week
9.4 L
1.7 L Ø 6.0 11.4 L

55% above the regional average

Ranks #5 of 35 in the Americas Ranks #37 of 188 in the World Average in the Americas: 6.0 L

How neighbours compare

#1 Brazil 9.4L #5 the Americas
#2 Argentina 8.8L #7 the Americas
#3 Peru 6.8L #13 the Americas
#4 Paraguay 6.7L #15 the Americas
#5 Uruguay 6.2L #17 the Americas
#6 Bolivia 3.6L #29 the Americas

How safe are the roads in Brazil?

Road traffic deaths per 100,000 people, per year

15.7 /100k

road traffic deaths per 100,000 people, 2021

~35% of road deaths linked to alcohol WHO estimate, 2019 · 23–51%
646 road deaths per week WHO estimate, 2021
225 alcohol-linked deaths per week WHO-derived estimate
15.7
4.7 Ø 14.1 31.3

11% more road deaths than the regional average

#23 safest of 36 in the Americas #124 safest of 195 worldwide Average in the Americas: 14.1 per 100k

How neighbours compare

#1 Argentina 8.8 #8 the Americas
#2 Peru 12.7 #16 the Americas
#3 Uruguay 13.0 #17 the Americas
#4 Brazil 15.7 #23 the Americas
#5 Bolivia 17.6 #28 the Americas
#6 Paraguay 21.0 #31 the Americas

Latest available year shown per country.

LIMITS NEARBY

BAC limits in neighboring countries

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

AR

Argentina

0.05g/dL
Moderate
UY

Uruguay

0g/dL
Zero tolerance
PY

Paraguay

0g/dL
Zero tolerance
BO

Bolivia

0.05g/dL
Moderate
PE

Peru

0.05g/dL
Moderate

Drunk driving in Brazil

Brazil's Lei Seca: zero tolerance for drink driving

All drivers
0.0g/dL
Zero tolerance
The Brazilian Traffic Code (Lei Seca, CTB art. 165 and art. 306) applies absolute zero tolerance. Any detected alcohol is an administrative offence; from 0.6 g/L blood (or 0.34 mg/L breath) it becomes a crime with 6 months to 3 years detention. Signs of intoxication alone can also support an autuação even without an exact reading.

Common penalties in Brazil

Brazil's Lei Seca: zero-tolerance administrative offence and criminal threshold

Any alcohol detected (CTB art. 165)
Administrative infraction (art. 165)
  • Very serious administrative infraction — 10× fine (R$ 2,934.70)
  • 12-month suspension of right to drive
  • Vehicle retention; driver's licence document collected
≥ 0.6 g/L blood (CTB art. 306)
Traffic crime (art. 306)
  • Traffic crime — detention from 6 months to 3 years + fine
  • Suspension or prohibition to obtain a licence
  • Criminal record; aggravated charges if accident with injury or death

Tips for drinking responsibly

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: World Health Organization (WHO).

Official sources & references

The limits and penalties on this page come from official government sources

Confirm the current rules directly with the responsible authorities:

Laws change — always check the latest limits and penalties with the official source before driving.

How we calculate your BAC

The exact formula, step by step

Your result is not a guess. It comes from the Widmark equation, the same formula forensic toxicologists use in court. Here it is, worked through with an example.

BAC = A ÷ (r × W) − (β × t)

where A = grams of pure alcohol, r = body-water factor (0.68 for men, 0.55 for women), W = weight in kg, β = elimination rate (~0.15 g/L per hour), and t = hours since your first drink.

  1. Pure alcohol (A). Three 500 ml beers at 5% ABV hold 3 × 500 × 0.05 × 0.789 ≈ 59 g of pure alcohol.
  2. Body water (r × W). For an 80 kg man: 0.68 × 80 = 54.4.
  3. Peak level. A ÷ (r × W) = 59 ÷ 54.4 ≈ 1.09 g/L — the same as 1.09‰ or about 0.11% BAC.
  4. Subtract elimination. After 2 hours: 1.09 − (0.15 × 2) = 0.79 g/L.

The calculator runs this same equation on your own weight, sex, drinks and timing — the numbers above are only a worked example. Method based on E. M. P. Widmark (1932); results are an estimate, not a legal measurement.

What people actually log

SmartBAC has run over 17,000 calculations in recent weeks. Of every drink people log, beer is the most common by far — about 6 in 10 — ahead of spirits and then wine.

Anonymous, aggregated first-party usage data from SmartBAC, July–August 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does alcohol remain detectable on the breathalyzer?

Alcohol is typically detectable in alveolar air for up to 12 hours after drinking, depending on how much was consumed and on individual metabolism. After a small amount a few hours is enough; after a long night the device can still register meaningful values the next morning.

Elimination happens at a fairly constant rate — around 0.015% BAC per hour — and that speed cannot be increased by anything you do. Weight, sex, food, hydration and medication change the starting point and the shape of the curve, but not the underlying logic: the liver processes alcohol at its own pace. This is why a few hours' sleep is no guarantee of being under the limit.

What can I do to sober up faster?

There is no proven way to speed up alcohol elimination. Coffee, a cold shower, exercise, cold water and fatty food do not lower your blood alcohol level — at best they make you feel more alert, which is more dangerous still, because it creates a false sense of being fit to drive.

The liver metabolises alcohol at its own, essentially fixed rate, and only time brings the level down. Drinking water and eating before or during drinking can reduce the peak you reach and the next day's discomfort, but they do not shorten elimination. If you have been drinking and need to get somewhere, the only safe decision is not to drive: use an app, a taxi, public transport, or agree a designated driver in advance.

How accurate are Brazilian police breathalyzers?

Every etilômetro has a recognised margin of error, and the law already accounts for it. The CONTRAN resolution governing these devices requires the margin to be deducted from the reading before an infringement is issued — which is why the 0.05 mg/L and 0.34 mg/L thresholds are already corrected figures rather than the raw number on the display.

In practice this works in the driver's favour: the value recorded on the notice is always equal to or lower than what the device showed. For a result to be valid, the unit must hold model approval from Inmetro and a current metrological verification. If there is doubt about calibration, the notice can be challenged administratively, or a blood test requested, which does not depend on converting from breath.

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