To determine blood alcohol level you can use our BAC chart, and a breathalyzer test will determine your BAC. The legal limit is any number below .08 in all states.
What is Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)?
The definition of blood alcohol content is the blood alcohol level expressed as a percentage. Content of alcohol in the blood, or BAC, is used to determine if a person is legally intoxicated, especially when driving while intoxicated. In the field of traffic safety, BAC is expressed as the percentage of alcohol in Deciliters of blood – for example: 0.10 percent. A 160-pound man, for example, will have a BAC of approximately 0.04% an hour after consuming two 12-ounce beers or two other standard drinks on an empty stomach. All State laws have limits of BAC’s specific driver, which vary by State. According to these laws, it is illegal to operate a vehicle having a BAC above the given limit.
Blood Alcohol Level Chart
Here you can find your blood alcohol level by using the BAC Level chart below on this page.
Generally one drink is considered:
- (1) 12 fl oz beer
- (1) 5 fl oz glass of wine
- (1) 1.5 fl oz shot of hard liquor
BLUE = Impaired DriverRED = Legally Drunk Driver
| Weight | Number of Drinks | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 100 | 0.032 | 0.065 | 0.097 | .0129 | .0162 | 0.194 | 0.226 | 0.258 | 0.291 |
| 120 | 0.027 | 0.054 | 0.081 | 0.108 | 0.135 | 0.161 | 0.188 | 0.215 | 0.242 |
| 140 | 0.023 | 0.046 | 0.069 | 0.092 | 0.115 | 0.138 | 0.161 | 0.184 | 0.207 |
| 160 | 0.020 | 0.040 | 0.060 | 0.080 | 0.101 | 0.121 | 0.141 | 0.161 | 0.181 |
| 180 | 0.018 | 0.036 | 0.054 | 0.072 | 0.090 | 0.108 | 0.126 | 0.144 | 0.162 |
| 200 | 0.016 | 0.032 | 0.048 | 0.064 | 0.080 | 0.097 | 0.113 | 0.129 | 0.145 |
| 220 | 0.015 | 0.029 | 0.044 | 0.058 | 0.073 | 0.088 | 0.102 | 0.117 | 0.131 |
| 240 | 0.014 | 0.027 | 0.040 | 0.053 | 0.067 | 0.081 | 0.095 | 0.108 | 0.121 |
This blood alcohol level chart is provided only as a reference guide and it should not be relied upon to determine whether you are capable of driving a vehicle. Please keep in mind that there are a number of variables that can influence whether you are legally qualified to drive.
See also:
- Tips For Controlling Blood Alcohol Level (How to Avoid DUI)
- DUI laws by State, toughest and easiest
- Blood alcohol level calculator online
How many drinks it takes to legally become drunk?
It is a wrong question because it presupposes that there is a fixed number of drinks that are acceptable before getting behind the wheel. This is wrong. For example, if you are taking medication, a drink could put it in the category of “DUI”. For some people, it often takes very little alcohol to become legally drunk and certain physical characteristics such as weight, gender and body fat percentage can be factors in the equation. Food also can affect your outcome, you are more likely to fail a blood alcohol level test if you don’t eat. So, practically, if you’re wondering how many drinks can you have before driving, the best answer is ‘None’. Legally, in all the States you should not be operating a vehicle with a concentration of alcohol in blood (BAC) = .08%. In other words, if you don’t consider yourself “drunk”, the law considers you as an offender if your BAC is above. 08%.
Blood alcohol level chart male and female
As you have read in other places in this site, there are many factors that affect your Blood Alcohol concentration (BAC) when you drink. Some of these include: a person’s size, gender and physical condition; what they have had to eat; how much sleep they have had; what medications they are taking and, importantly, the actual alcohol content of their chosen “drink.”
Size and gender difference are reflected in the following estimated charts:
| BAC chart for Male | |||||||||
| Approximate Blood Alcohol Percentage | |||||||||
| Drinks | Body Weight in Pounds | ||||||||
| 100 | 120 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 | 220 | 240 | ||
| 0 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | Only Safe Driving Limit |
| 1 | .04 | .03 | .03 | .02 | .02 | .02 | .02 | .02 | Driving Skills Significantly Affected Possible |
| 2 | .08 | .06 | .05 | .05 | .04 | .04 | .03 | .03 | |
| 3 | .11 | .09 | .08 | .07 | .06 | .06 | .05 | .05 | |
| 4 | .15 | .12 | .11 | .09 | .08 | .08 | .07 | .06 | |
| 5 | .19 | .16 | .13 | .12 | .11 | .09 | .09 | .08 | |
| 6 | .23 | .19 | .16 | .14 | .13 | .11 | .10 | .09 | Legally Intoxicated Criminal |
| 7 | .26 | .22 | .19 | .16 | .15 | .13 | .12 | .11 | |
| 8 | .30 | .25 | .21 | .19 | .17 | .15 | .14 | .13 | |
| 9 | .34 | .28 | .24 | .21 | .19 | .17 | .15 | .14 | |
| 10 | .38 | .31 | .27 | .23 | .21 | .19 | .17 | .16 | Death Possible |
| Subtract .01% for each 40 minutes of drinking. One drink is 1.25 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz. of beer, or 5 oz. of table wine | |||||||||
Blood alcohol level chart female
| BAC chart for Female | ||||||||||
| Approximate Blood Alcohol Percentage | ||||||||||
| Drinks | Body Weight in Pounds | |||||||||
| 90 | 100 | 120 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 | 220 | 240 | ||
| 0 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | .00 | Only Safe Driving Limit |
| 1 | .05 | .05 | .04 | .03 | .03 | .03 | .02 | .02 | .02 | Driving Skills Significantly Affected Possible |
| 2 | .10 | .09 | .08 | .07 | .06 | .05 | .05 | .04 | .04 | |
| 3 | .15 | .14 | .11 | .10 | .09 | .08 | .07 | .06 | .06 | |
| 4 | .20 | .18 | .15 | .13 | .11 | .10 | .09 | .08 | .08 | |
| 5 | .25 | .23 | .19 | .16 | .14 | .13 | .11 | .10 | .09 | |
| 6 | .30 | .27 | .23 | .19 | .17 | .15 | .14 | .12 | .11 | Legally Intoxicated Criminal |
| 7 | .35 | .32 | .27 | .23 | .20 | .18 | .16 | .14 | .13 | |
| 8 | .40 | .36 | .30 | .26 | .23 | .20 | .18 | .17 | .15 | |
| 9 | .45 | .41 | .34 | .29 | .26 | .23 | .20 | .19 | .17 | |
| 10 | .51 | .45 | .38 | .32 | .28 | .25 | .23 | .21 | .19 | Death Possible |
| Subtract .01% for each 40 minutes of drinking. One drink is 1.25 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz. of beer, or 5 oz. of table wine. | ||||||||||
Watch the video How much is too much? A look into Blood Alcohol Level
On Your Side’s Karen Lehr and Idaho State Police test blood alcohol level of four individuals of different gender and body weight.
