Pharmacokinetic Research-Based

EtG Urine TestDetection Calculator

Estimate how long Ethyl Glucuronide stays detectable in urine - by drinks, body weight, and test cutoff. A 4-step guided calculator backed by peer-reviewed research.

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Estimates only - individual results vary. Not medical or legal advice.

EtG Detection Calculator

Pharmacokinetic research-based

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Step 1 of 4

How much did you drink?

Count every standard drink - a 12oz beer, 5oz wine, or 1.5oz shot each equal one.

0
standard drinks

Quick pick

What counts as 1 standard drink?

Beer

12 oz · 5% ABV

Wine

5 oz · 12% ABV

Liquor

1.5 oz shot · 40% ABV

3cutoffs

Supported thresholds

3.5hr

EtG urine half-life

4steps

Guided wizard

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Pharmacokinetic research basis·Updated Mar 2026·Free, no signup
Quick Reference

EtG Detection Window Summary

Likely Clear

24-48 hrs

1-2 drinks

at 500 ng/mL standard cutoff

Borderline

48-72 hrs

4-6 drinks

at 500 ng/mL standard cutoff

Likely Detected

72-96+ hrs

8+ drinks

at 100 ng/mL monitoring cutoff

Background

What Is an EtG Calculator?

An EtG calculator estimates how long Ethyl Glucuronide - a direct metabolite of alcohol - will remain detectable in urine after drinking. Unlike BAC tests that measure active intoxication, EtG tests catch past drinking events up to 24-80 hours later.

Ethyl Glucuronide forms as a byproduct of alcohol metabolism. A small fraction of ethanol gets conjugated with glucuronic acid to produce EtG, which gets filtered into urine and remains measurable long after your blood alcohol returns to zero.

The results depend on four factors: how much you drank, how long your session lasted, your body weight, and what cutoff level the test uses. Our calculator models all four using pharmacokinetic data from peer-reviewed research, giving you a science-based estimate rather than a rough guess.

Details

How It Works

Guide

EtG Urine Testing: What You Need to Know

What EtG Actually Measures

EtG doesn't measure how drunk you were - it measures whether your liver processed alcohol at all. The compound appears in urine about 1-2 hours after your first drink and peaks 3-5 hours after drinking ends. Courts and monitoring programs use it because it extends the surveillance window far beyond ethanol itself.

Key distinction: A breathalyzer tells you if someone is currently impaired. An EtG test tells you if someone drank at some point in the past 24-80 hours.

How Cutoff Levels Work: 100 vs 500 ng/mL

At 500 ng/mL - the standard workplace cutoff - a light drinker typically falls below the threshold within 24 hours. Even moderate drinking (3-5 drinks) usually clears within 36-48 hours.

At 100 ng/mL - used in probation, drug courts, and alcohol treatment programs - the same 3-5 drinks may still be detectable at 60-72 hours. Heavy drinking (8+ drinks) can push this beyond 80 hours. Assume your window is 30-50% longer at 100 ng/mL.

Factors That Affect EtG Detection Time

  • Drink count and type - More drinks mean higher peak EtG and a longer window. High-ABV drinks produce more EtG per fluid ounce.
  • Drinking speed - Faster consumption creates a higher EtG spike, while spreading drinks over many hours keeps the peak lower.
  • Body weight - Heavier individuals have larger blood volume that dilutes peak EtG concentration per drink.
  • Hydration - Water dilutes urine EtG concentration. It doesn't remove EtG faster, it just reduces ng/mL per sample.
  • Liver function - Glucuronidation rate varies between individuals based on genetics, age, liver health, and individual metabolism.
Use Cases

Who Uses This Calculator?

People on Probation or Court Monitoring

Understand detection windows before a scheduled test - especially the difference between 100 and 500 ng/mL programs.

Individuals in Treatment Programs

Verify what you've been told about how long EtG lasts and understand the science behind monitoring timelines.

Pre-Employment & Occupational Testing

Compare 100 and 500 ng/mL scenarios to understand what your employer's panel may detect and when.

Healthcare Providers & Counselors

Explain EtG pharmacokinetics to patients in plain language, beyond the standard "up to 80 hours" oversimplification.

Students & Researchers

Use this as a quick reference pharmacokinetic model to check calculations against published data.

FAQ

EtG Detection - Common Questions

EtG (Ethyl Glucuronide) is a minor metabolite of ethanol produced when your liver processes alcohol via glucuronidation. Unlike ethanol itself, which is detectable in urine only for 6-12 hours, EtG persists in urine for 24-80 hours depending on how much was consumed. This makes EtG a much more sensitive biomarker for recent alcohol use. It is widely used in sobriety monitoring programs (probation, drug courts, alcohol treatment programs), pre-employment and workplace testing, and clinical settings where recent alcohol use needs to be detected beyond the ethanol detection window.
EtG detection windows in urine depend heavily on the amount consumed and the test cutoff level used. For light drinking (1-2 standard drinks), EtG is typically undetectable at the 500 ng/mL cutoff within 24 hours. Moderate drinking (3-5 drinks) extends detection to 24-48 hours. Heavy drinking (6+ drinks) can result in positive results at 48-72 hours, and very heavy drinking (10+ drinks) may produce detectable EtG at 72-80 hours at the 100 ng/mL cutoff. These are averages - individual metabolism, hydration, kidney function, and liver enzyme activity all affect actual results.
The cutoff level determines how sensitive the test is. At 500 ng/mL (the standard cutoff used in most workplace and clinical EtG tests), the detection window is shorter - the test only triggers positive when EtG concentration is relatively high. At 100 ng/mL (used in strict sobriety programs like probation, drug courts, and some treatment programs), even trace amounts of EtG trigger a positive result, extending the detection window considerably. If you are subject to a 100 ng/mL test, your detection window may be 30-50% longer than for a standard 500 ng/mL test. Always confirm the cutoff level being used in your program.
This is a legitimate concern in sobriety monitoring contexts. Some studies have found that consuming products containing trace ethanol - such as certain mouthwashes (Listerine contains alcohol), hand sanitizers (if absorbed or ingested), fermented foods, and some medications - can produce low-level positive EtG results, typically in the 100-300 ng/mL range. At the 500 ng/mL cutoff, most incidental exposures do not produce false positives. At 100 ng/mL, incidental exposure from alcohol-containing products is a documented concern. Programs using 100 ng/mL cutoffs typically have protocols to evaluate reported incidental exposures.
Hydration does affect EtG urine concentration - drinking more water dilutes your urine, which can lower the EtG concentration below the detection threshold sooner. However, this does not eliminate EtG from your body; it only affects concentration in any given urine sample. Some testing programs are aware of this and may flag specimens with very low creatinine levels (indicating excessive dilution) as invalid or suspicious. Drinking water is generally healthy and may modestly accelerate clearing the detection threshold, but it is not a reliable method to defeat an EtG test.
EtG testing is highly specific for alcohol metabolism but is not infallible. Documented sources of error include: false positives from incidental ethanol exposure (see above), sample handling errors, laboratory testing variation, and the natural biological variability in EtG production between individuals. False negatives can occur if testing happens after EtG has fully cleared, or in individuals with unusually fast glucuronidation enzyme activity. For legal or compliance purposes, a positive result typically triggers a review process rather than immediate consequence - if you believe a result is in error, you can request a split-sample confirmatory test.
A breathalyzer or blood alcohol content (BAC) test measures ethanol itself - the alcohol molecule. These tests only detect active intoxication, and ethanol clears from blood and breath within 6-12 hours of finishing drinking (at a rate of approximately 0.015 BAC per hour). EtG testing detects a metabolite produced after ethanol is processed, meaning it can reveal that someone drank alcohol 24-80 hours earlier even when they are completely sober and show no ethanol. EtG testing is specifically designed to detect past drinking events, not current impairment.
This calculator is an educational tool built on published pharmacokinetic research. It is intended to help people understand how EtG metabolism works and how long alcohol consumption is detectable. It should not be used to defeat or circumvent legitimate sobriety monitoring programs, probation requirements, workplace testing, or any other compliance obligation. The estimates produced here are approximations - individual variation means actual detection times can be longer than estimated, particularly at the 100 ng/mL cutoff or with heavy consumption.

EtG Calculator Editorial Team

Our editorial team reviews peer-reviewed pharmacokinetic research on Ethyl Glucuronide and translates it into usable estimates. We reference primary sources from Høiseth (2007), Wurst (2003), and SAMHSA guidelines, and update the model when new data is published.