EtG Calculator

Q: What’s EtG?

EtG (ethyl glucuronide) is a byproduct of the digestion of alcohol by your liver. When your body processes ethanol, your liver breaks it down into various substances, including EtG. Knowing how this process happens, we can estimate how much time has passed since your last alcohol use.

Q: How does an EtG test work?

EtG tests detect the ethyl glucuronide in your body through the analysis of a urine sample in order to estimate recent alcohol use . EtG tests are often used during court proceedings, probationary periods, and abstinence monitoring.

Q: What are realistic EtG detection times?

It depends on a lot of factors, including body weight and gender , but your alcohol use habits also play a role: Light drinking: roughly 24 to 36 hours. Moderate drinking: 48 to 72 hours. Heavy drinking: May take multiple days to clear EtG.

Q: What would my EtG level be after drinking 5 beers?

Around 1,260 ng/mL for men and 1,560 ng/mL for women , if you weigh around 180 lb and drink 5 standard cans of beer. After an hour, those levels would drop to 1,110 ng/mL and 1,410 ng/mL, respectively, and clear below 500 ng/mL roughly after 8 and 10 hours , respectively. Use an EtG test calculator to approximate your EtG level.

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Agata Flak

Agata is an aspiring translator and interpreter with a passion for foreign languages and linguistics. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in French and Italian Studies from the University of Manchester. She spent a year studying translation and interpreting in Mons, Belgium. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Translation Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, specializing in conference interpreting. In her free time, she likes petting her dog and engaging in physical training. See full profile

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Steven Wooding

Steven Wooding is a physicist by training with a degree from the University of Surrey specializing in nuclear physics. He loves data analysis and computer programming. He has worked on exciting projects such as environmentally aware radar, using genetic algorithms to tune radar, and building the UK vaccine queue calculator. Steve is now the Editorial Quality Assurance Coordinator here at Omni Calculator, making sure every calculator meets the standards our users expect. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, photography, wildlife watching, and long walks. See full profile

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If you’re due to take an EtG test, our EtG calculator will help you estimate when your EtG level will drop below the acceptable threshold. If you’re wondering, “How long can alcohol be detected in urine?”, this article was made for you.

What is EtG on a drug test? What are realistic EtG detection times? Keep reading to discover this and more.

Disclaimer: We try our best to make our Omni Calculators as precise and reliable as possible. However, the results of this tool should be taken only as an estimate and cannot replace professional advice.

What is EtG on a drug test?

When you drink a cold beer or a glass of wine, your liver works hard to break down the alcohol. During this process, a tiny fraction of the ethanol binds with glucuronic acid to form a byproduct called ethyl glucuronide (EtG).

Unlike a standard breathalyzer, EtG on a drug test doesn’t measure current impairment or intoxication. Instead, an EtG urine test actively looks for this specific element. With the help of an EtG calculator, taking an EtG urine test can be slightly less intimidating, because you will actually understand the math behind your metabolism!

🙋 If you want to check your current blood alcohol level, check out our BAC calculator.

Realistic EtG detection times

How long can alcohol be detected in urine? The answer depends on your body weight, gender, and the amount of alcohol you drank.

Here’s a list of realistic EtG detection times:

Light drinking: Usually clears within 24 to 36 hours.
Moderate drinking: Can take anywhere from 48 to 72 hours.
Heavy drinking: May take up to 5 days for the metabolite to completely flush out.

To calculate your intake accurately, you need to know what a standard drink actually is. In the United States, a standard drink contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). For instance, 14 g of alcohol can be found in 12 ounces of 5% beer, 5 ounces of 12% wine, or a 1.5-ounce shot of 40% distilled spirits. To determine the exact alcohol percentage of your specific beverage, use our ABV calculator.

For example, if a 200 lb male consumes 12 standard drinks, our EtG test calculator estimates that an hour later, his EtG would be at 2,573 ng/mL. It would take about 13 hours and 49 minutes for his levels to drop below 500 ng/mL (a commonly used threshold — though 100 ng/mL is sometimes used, which would take longer).

How to use our EtG calculator

Our tool is extremely easy to use. Follow these steps:

Select your gender right at the top of the EtG calculator.
Input the number of standard drinks that you’ve consumed. You can use our standard drink calculator to help you figure out how many standard drinks you’ve had.
Input your body weight and the time that has passed since your last drink.
Sit back and watch the magic happen! The tool will tell you your current EtG level and how long it will take to drop below 500 ng/mL — which is the standard threshold for passing an EtG urine test — and to 0 ng/mL.

🔎 If you are trying to reduce your alcohol consumption, take a look at our CIWA calculator.

FAQs

What’s EtG?

EtG (ethyl glucuronide) is a byproduct of the digestion of alcohol by your liver. When your body processes ethanol, your liver breaks it down into various substances, including EtG. Knowing how this process happens, we can estimate how much time has passed since your last alcohol use.

How does an EtG test work?

EtG tests detect the ethyl glucuronide in your body through the analysis of a urine sample in order to estimate recent alcohol use. EtG tests are often used during court proceedings, probationary periods, and abstinence monitoring.

What are realistic EtG detection times?

It depends on a lot of factors, including body weight and gender, but your alcohol use habits also play a role:

Light drinking: roughly 24 to 36 hours.
Moderate drinking: 48 to 72 hours.
Heavy drinking: May take multiple days to clear EtG.

What would my EtG level be after drinking 5 beers?

Around 1,260 ng/mL for men and 1,560 ng/mL for women, if you weigh around 180 lb and drink 5 standard cans of beer. After an hour, those levels would drop to 1,110 ng/mL and 1,410 ng/mL, respectively, and clear below 500 ng/mL roughly after 8 and 10 hours, respectively. Use an EtG test calculator to approximate your EtG level.