Beer · Explainer
How many millilitres is a fluitje, a vaasje and a pint?
The pint is the only one of the three with a legal capacity: 568.26 millilitres, laid down in the British Weights and Measures Act 1985. Half a pint is 284.13 millilitres and a third of a pint 189.42 millilitres. Dutch law prescribes nothing for the fluitje and the vaasje. The Trimbos-instituut uses about 250 millilitres for a standard glass of beer.
In brief
The key figures
| British pint | 568.26125 millilitres |
|---|---|
| Half pint | 284.13 millilitres |
| Third of a pint | 189.42 millilitres |
| British fluid ounce | 28.41 millilitres, one twentieth of a pint |
| British gallon | 4.54609 litres |
| Sales measures for draught beer in the United Kingdom | a third of a pint, half a pint or multiples of half a pint |
| Standard glass of beer according to the Trimbos-instituut | about 250 millilitres |
| Legal glass size in the Netherlands | not specified |
Exactly how many millilitres is a pint?
A British pint measures 568.26125 millilitres, or one eighth of a gallon of 4.54609 litres.
The measure is set out in Schedule 1 of the Weights and Measures Act 1985. In Dutch cafés a 500-millilitre glass is often called a pint, and that differs by almost seventy millilitres from the British measure. So if you order a pint in England, you get just over half a litre.
Which measures may a British pub serve?
In the United Kingdom, draught beer and cider may only be sold in a third of a pint, half a pint or multiples of half a pint.
The rule is set out in the Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 1988. Converted, that is 189.42 millilitres, 284.13 millilitres and 568.26 millilitres. The choice is therefore legally restricted and the glass must demonstrably hold that measure. The Netherlands has no such requirement.
What is a fluitje and what is a vaasje?
Fluitje and vaasje are Dutch glass names without a legal capacity: food legislation protects beer designations such as pils and bock, but not glass sizes.
The fluitje is a narrow, tall glass; the vaasje is wider with straight sides. How much goes into it is decided by the bar itself. Two cafés may therefore pour the same order differently. If you want to know exactly, ask at the bar.
How much beer is in a bottle from the wine and spirits shop?
The usual bottle sizes for beer are 25, 30 and 33 centilitres for the small format and 50 or 75 centilitres for the large one.
A 33-centilitre bottle is 330 millilitres, more than the standard glass of beer of about 250 millilitres used by the Trimbos-instituut. A 75-centilitre bottle is 750 millilitres and so just over one and a half British pints. To convert: a centilitre is ten millilitres.
How many standard drinks of beer are in a pint?
A 568.26-millilitre pint of 5 percent ABV beer contains about 2.4 standard drinks of alcohol.
Het Trimbos-instituut rekent een standaardglas op ongeveer 10 gram alcohol, wat neerkomt op ongeveer 12 milliliter pure alcohol. Een vaasje van 250 milliliter pils van 5 volumeprocent bevat 12,5 milliliter alcohol en telt daarmee als één standaardglas. Een fles speciaalbier van 33 centiliter met 8 volumeprocent komt op 26,4 milliliter, ruim twee standaardglazen. Alcohol verkopen wij niet onder de achttien: NIX18.
From the shop in Bathmen
Which beers come in the large bottle?
The shop in Bathmen stocks 157 beers from 83 different brands from 8 countries. Prices range from € 0.99 to € 59.99. The alcohol percentage ranges from 4.5% to 20%.
- 't Zwarte Schoap Het Lam Oaked Quadrupel 10% · 75 cl · Netherlands
- Aardig Geitje 5% · 75 cl · Belgium
- Abbaye d'Aulne Cuvee Royale 9% · 75 cl · Belgium
- Abbaye du Mont des Cats Mont des Cats 7.6% · 75 cl · France
- Affligem Blond 6.7% · 75 cl · Belgium
- Ayinger Bräuweisse 5.1% · 50 cl · Germany
- Baladin Isaac 5% · 75 cl · Italy
- Benediktiner Weissbier 5.4% · 50 cl · Germany
- Bird brewery Kadodo Tripel 8% · 75 cl · Netherlands
- Bird Brewery Kerstmus Kerstbier 8% · 75 cl · Netherlands
Related questions
How much deposit is there on a crate of beer?Is beer gluten-free?Is beer from a can different from beer from a bottle?
Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- Is a pint half a litre?
- No. A British pint is 568.26 millilitres and therefore just over 68 millilitres more than half a litre. In Dutch cafés, though, a 500-millilitre glass is often called a pint.
- How many millilitres is half a pint?
- 284.13 millilitres, exactly half of 568.26 millilitres. In the United Kingdom that is one of the permitted measures for draught beer.
- How many centilitres is 330 millilitres?
- 33 centilitres. A centilitre is ten millilitres, so a 33-centilitre bottle contains 330 millilitres.
- How many glasses do you get from a 75-centilitre bottle?
- 750 millilitres divided by 250 millilitres gives three glasses of the size the Trimbos-instituut uses for beer.
The reasoning
Sources
- Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1, legislation.gov.uk (accessed 2026-09-07)
- The Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 1988, legislation.gov.uk (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Drinkadvies alcohol, Trimbos-instituut, Expertisecentrum Alcohol (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Warenwetbesluit Gereserveerde aanduidingen, Overheid.nl (accessed 2026-09-07)
This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine and spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 1 October 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.