Energy Drinks vs Energy Shots: Can Sizes, 60ml Shots and Reading the Caffeine Line

Two products, same shelf, same general idea: a 330ml can and a 60ml shot. One you drink over twenty minutes, the other in a couple of seconds. On the label they can be remarkably close, and on price per serving they often are not.

This is a guide to comparing the two formats properly — what the pack sizes mean, which line on the label actually tells you the caffeine content, and how to work out what you are paying per serving across cans, shots and gels.

The formats and their sizes

Cans are the familiar format, and in the UK they cluster around a few sizes: 250ml, 330ml, 355ml, 473ml and 500ml. They are almost always sold in multipacks. In our range you will find Applied Nutrition Body Fuel Energy Can at 12x330ml for £13.99, Applied Nutrition ABE Carbonated Can at 12x330ml for £21.99, EHP Labs Oxyshred Ultra at 12x330ml for £23.99, Celsius at 12x355ml for £24.99, Monster Energy Ultra at 12x500ml for £25.99, Red Bull Sugarfree at 24x250ml for £44.99 and Strom Sports FocusMax at 12x500ml for £34.99.

Shots are concentrated and much smaller: 25ml, 60ml, 80ml and 100ml are the common sizes. Warrior RAGE Energy Shots are 12x60ml at £19.99, Applied Nutrition Body Fuel Energy Shots 12x60ml at £15.08, Muscle Moose Moose Juice Energy Shot 12x60ml at £19.99, Murdered Out Shook 12x60ml at £19.99, Allnutrition Energy Shot 12x80ml at £11.99 and BioTechUSA Energy Shot 20x25ml at £26.99. Single shots are available too — Cellucor C4 Energy Shot at £2.99 — which is the sensible way to try one before buying a box of twelve.

The whole shots category, including pre-workout and protein shots, is in Shots; cans and bottles are in Energy & Drinks.

The caffeine line is a legal requirement

This is the most useful thing to know about the category, and most people walk past it.

Under UK food information rules, a drink containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre — other than drinks based on coffee or tea whose name says so — must carry the statement "High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women" in the same field of vision as the product name. Immediately after it, in brackets, the label must state the caffeine content in milligrams per 100ml.

So the number you need is always there, on every product in the category, in the same units. It is not a marketing figure and it is not optional. Find that bracket and you can compare anything with anything.

Turning mg per 100ml into mg per can

The catch is that the mandated figure is per 100ml, while what you actually consume is a whole can or a whole shot. One sum fixes it:

(mg per 100ml ÷ 100) × pack volume in ml = mg per serving

A drink at 32mg per 100ml in a 330ml can gives roughly 106mg. The same 32mg per 100ml in a 500ml can gives 160mg — half as much again, from a product that looked identical on the label. Meanwhile a shot at 200mg per 100ml in a 60ml bottle gives 120mg, from a bottle a fifth of the size.

That is the real difference between the formats. Shots are concentrated, so the per‑100ml figure looks alarming and the per‑bottle figure often is not. Cans are dilute, so the per‑100ml figure looks modest and the 500ml ones quietly add up. Always finish the sum.

Adding up your daily total

Caffeine comes from more places than the fridge. Coffee, tea, pre-workout, some protein products and caffeinated gels all contribute, and it is easy to double up without noticing — a pre-workout followed by a can in the afternoon is a common pattern.

For reference, the European Food Safety Authority's assessment is that single doses up to 200mg, and intakes up to 400mg a day from all sources, do not raise safety concerns for most healthy adults. NHS advice for pregnancy is a limit of 200mg a day. Those are consumption reference points rather than targets, and they are worth knowing purely so you can add up your own day. If you are unsure, or you are pregnant, breastfeeding or managing a health condition, speak to your GP or pharmacist.

Sugar, sugar-free and what the words mean

"Sugar-free" is a regulated nutrition claim in the UK, not a loose description. A drink can only carry it if it contains no more than 0.5g of sugars per 100ml. "Low sugar" is the looser tier at no more than 2.5g per 100ml. Anything else is just the carbohydrate line on the back, which is where you should look if neither phrase appears.

This matters because full-sugar and zero-sugar versions of the same drink often sit side by side at the same price with nearly identical packaging. Red Bull Sugarfree and the standard version are the obvious example. If it matters to you, read the flash on the can rather than the colour.

Gels: the third format

Worth mentioning because they overlap. Energy gels are built around carbohydrate rather than caffeine, sold in 40–66g sachets and bought mainly for long endurance sessions. Some are caffeinated and some are not, and the range makes it explicit: HIGH5 Energy Gel Caffeine is 20x40g at £23.99, while the non-caffeinated versions sit alongside it. See Energy Gels, and our guide to gels, isotonic drinks and chews if fuelling a long session is the actual question.

Cost per serving

Multipack pricing makes this category look cheaper or dearer than it is. Divide it out:

• Applied Nutrition Body Fuel Energy Can, 12x330ml at £13.99 → about £1.17 a can.
• Monster Energy Ultra, 12x500ml at £25.99 → about £2.17 a can.
• Red Bull Sugarfree, 24x250ml at £44.99 → about £1.87 a can.
• Applied Nutrition Body Fuel Energy Shots, 12x60ml at £15.08 → about £1.26 a shot.
• Allnutrition Energy Shot, 12x80ml at £11.99 → about £1.00 a shot.

Shots are not automatically the expensive option, which surprises people. What they are is smaller, lighter and easier to carry, which is the actual reason most people buy them.

Which one should you buy?

It comes down to the practicalities rather than anything on the label. Cans give you a drink — volume, fizz, something to sip through a session or a commute. Shots give you the same sort of caffeine figure in something that fits in a pocket and does not need refrigerating or finishing.

Buy a single of each before you buy a box. Flavours in this category are strong and divisive, and a 24‑pack you do not enjoy is an expensive mistake.

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Cans, bottles and multipacks are in Energy & Drinks, concentrated formats in Shots, and the wider training and endurance range in Endurance & Energy. UK delivery is a flat £5 and free over £120.

A quick note

This article is general information, not medical or nutritional advice. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, and should not be used to prevent or treat any illness. Always read the product label, do your own research, and speak to a qualified doctor, pharmacist or registered nutritionist before starting a new supplement — especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, taking medication or managing a health condition.