How Many Ounces in a Pint?

When you notice the variety of pint glasses available, you may wonder: how many ounces are in a pint? While a pint may seem like a universal measurement, the amount of a pint varies across the globe.

The founding fathers

The United States and Great Britain both use the pint as a unit of measure, but the amount of liquid in a pint glass differs between the two countries. Great Britain uses the Imperial system to measure the volume or capacity of a glass, with a British pint weighing in at 20 Imperial fluid ounces or 568 milliliters. In the United States, a pint is 16 fluid ounces and is equivalent to 473 milliliters. Therefore, the traditional British pint of beer is about 20 percent larger than an American pint.

The other outsiders

Canada, Australia and New Zealand converted to the metric system in the 1960s and 1970s. While these countries use the term "pint" colloquially, it does not always refer to the imperial pint originally used throughout the Commonwealth. When you order a "pint" of beer in a bar or tavern outside of Great Britain or the United States, you may get a British pint, an American pint or something different, depending upon local laws and customs.

The shorter stouts

Some bars and restaurants have replaced 16-ounce pint glasses with 14-ounce glasses. You can spot this smaller glassware by noticing that the bottom is thicker than standard pint glasses. Some bartenders also give less than 16 ounces of beer in pint glasses by filling up the extra space with foam.

How many ounces in a pint? As you can see, there is more than one correct answer to this question.