How Many Sodas to Buy for any Group Size

Whether it’s for a birthday party, a Homecoming tailgate, a backyard barbeque, a holiday potluck at the office, or any other event, sodas are a staple party drink. Determining how many sodas to buy for a crowd can sometimes be stressful since you don’t want to run out, but you also don’t want to end up with too much left over.

When purchasing sodas for a group, assume every individual will drink at least eight ounces for every hour of the event. An eight-ounce serving of soda should be provided for every individual within a group, multiplied by the duration of the gathering.

Of course, sodas come in all different sized bottles and cans. Here, we have broken down just how much soda you will need according to the size of the bottle or can.

Two-liter sodas

Within a two liter soda, there are almost sixty eight fluid ounces. Within a serving of soda, there are eight ounces. As there are eight ounces within a serving, a two liter soda serves on average eight people.

Within a party, however, individuals tend to drink more soda than is normally suggested. Individuals attending a gathering tend to drink one serving of soda per hour. This means that the amount of drinks needed largely depends on how long the party is.

Below is the amount of two-liter sodas that are needed for your group size, assuming the event is three hours and each guest drinks one eight-ounce serving per hour.

Group size	Duration of event	Soda size	Amount needed
Five people	Three hours	Two liter soda	Two
Ten people	Three hours	Two liter soda	Four
Twenty people	Three hours	Two liter soda	Eight
Fifty people	Three hours	Two liter soda	Eighteen
One hundred people	Three hours	Two liter soda	Thirty six

One-liter sodas

A one-liter soda is half of the size of a two-liter soda. Given this information, it can be assumed that one liter of soda is almost thirty-four fluid ounces. As there are eight ounces within a single serving of soda, it can be assumed that a single liter of soda can serve four people.

Below is the amount of one-liter sodas that are needed for your group size, assuming the event is three hours and each guest drinks one eight-ounce serving per hour.

Group size	Duration of the event	Soda size	Amount needed
Five people	Three hours	One liter soda	Four
Ten people	Three hours	One liter soda	Eight
Twenty people	Three hours	One liter soda	Sixteen
Fifty people	Three hours	One liter soda	Thirty six
One hundred people	Three hours	One liter soda	Seventy two

Bottled soda

Within a single bottle of soda, there are twenty ounces. This is over double the recommended serving size. In fact, it is nearly triple the eight-ounce recommendation.

However, when purchasing a package of bottled sodas for a group, the bottle size is typically an average of seventeen ounces.

It has been estimated that within a group, the average person will drink one bottle of soda per hour.

Below is the amount of bottled sodas that is needed for your group size, assuming the event is three hours and each guest drinks one bottle per hour.

Group size	Duration of the event	Soda size	Amount needed
Five people	Three hours	One bottle of soda	Fifteen
Ten people	Three hours	One bottle of soda	Thirty
Twenty people	Three hours	One bottle of soda	Sixty
Fifty people	Tree hours	One bottle of soda	One hundred fifty
One hundred people	Three hours	One bottle of soda	Three hundred

Canned sodas

Within a single can of soda, there are twelve ounces. This is already more than the recommended serving of soda, which is eight ounces. However there are many cans that vary in size, and there are cans that you can buy that are eight ounces. Typically, however, when buying a pack of soda cans, the cans will be twelve ounces.

It has been estimated that within a group of people, the average person will drink about one can of soda per hour.

Below is the amount of canned sodas that are needed for your group size, assuming the event is three hours and each guest drinks one ten-ounce can per hour.

Group size	Duration of the event	Soda size	Amount needed
Five people	Three hours	One can of soda	Fifteen
Ten people	Three hours	One can of soda	Thirty
Twenty people	Three hours	One can of soda	Sixty
Fifty people	Three hours	One can of soda	One hundred fifty
One hundred people	Three hours	One can of soda	Three hundred

Which size is best for a group?

Now that you know how many sodas you will need per person for your gathering, you may be wondering what the cheapest way to buy these sodas is.

When buying a package of canned sodas, it costs about eight dollars for twenty-four cans. This averages to about thirty-three cents per can of soda.

When buying a package of bottles of sodas, it costs about three dollars for six bottles. This averages to fifty cents per bottle of soda.

When buying one-liter of soda, it costs about one dollar and fifteen cents. A one-liter bottle of soda provides four servings, which averages to about twenty-nine cents per serving.

When buying a two-liter bottle of soda, it costs about one dollar and fifty cents. A two-liter bottle of soda provides eight servings, which averages to about nineteen cents per serving.

With this information, it can easily be concluded that two-liter sodas are the least expensive option. Two-liter sodas are the cheapest, especially among large groups. However, if you are hosting a fairly small gathering and want little to no leftover sodas, then one of the other options may be the best for you.

Best sodas to buy for a group

Soda is very popular among groups, and no matter the kind you buy, people will typically enjoy it! However, there are certain types of sodas that are favored among groups. Below is a list of what sodas are typically enjoyed within the United States.

Some of the most popular sodas include Coca Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Fanta, Squirt, Sierra Mist, Root Beer, and 7 Up.

In addition to the sodas listed above, the diet versions are becoming increasingly more popular. Diet sodas are becoming increasingly common as people are becoming aware of the excess amount of sugar within their diet. You might want to keep in mind that your guests may enjoy having diet options.