From a 42-gallon barrel of crude oil, petroleum refineries in the United Areas produce around 19 to 20 gallons of motor gasoline and 11 to 12 gallons of ultra-low sulfur distillate fuel oil (most of which is sold as diesel fuel and in several states as heating oil). Crude oil is also refined into a variety of other petroleum products. Individual product yields at refineries vary from month to month as refiners focus operations to meet demand for various products and maximize profits.
Other FAQs about Gasoline
- Does the EIA provide state-by-state estimates or projections for energy output, consumption, and prices?
- Is the EIA able to provide data on energy use and prices for cities, counties, or zip codes?
- How much carbon dioxide is created by gasoline and diesel fuel consumption in the United States?
- How much does a gallon of gasoline and a gallon of diesel fuel cost?
How many gallons are in a gas barrel?
A normal barrel of crude oil in the United States comprises 42 gallons of crude oil, which creates approximately 44 gallons of petroleum products. Refinery gains result in an additional 6% of product, resulting in an additional 2 gallons of petroleum products. Refineries in the United States create about 19 gallons of gasoline and 10 gallons of diesel fuel from a barrel of crude oil, as seen in the graph below. The remaining one-third is made up of items like jet fuel and heating oil.
Why are barrels 42 gallons?
A small group of people in northeastern Pennsylvania convened soon after America’s first commercial oil well was drilled in 1859 and determined that a 42-gallon barrel would be the finest way to carry their oil. A 42-gallon “tierce” weighed 300 pounds when loaded with oil instead of fish or other goods.
How much is a barrel of fuel?
The cost of the raw material used to make gasoline crude oil is the most significant single component of retail gasoline costs. Depending on the type of crude oil purchased, the price has recently ranged between $50 and $70 per barrel. A normal 42 gallon barrel of crude oil costs $1.19 to $1.67 per gallon at these prices at the pump. Excise taxes contribute an additional 49 cents a gallon on average across the country.
Why is a barrel 55 gallons?
The 55 gallon steel drum is undoubtedly Skolnik’s most recognizable barrel. If you ask someone to imagine a barrel, they would most likely think of a 55 gallon, or 45 imperial gallon, steel drum, which has been seen in innumerable movies and TV shows, in real life and in photographs. The use of these drums in the oil business is one of the main reasons they have become so ingrained in our collective awareness. In fact, the two are so tightly linked that barrels are the standard unit of measurement for talking about oil. However, they weren’t matched from the start. Instead, as industry demands have increased, changed, and evolved through time, oil has had a rather delicate relationship with the 55 gallon steel barrel.
The first and greatest consideration is the “The “barrel” unit of measurement began with wood rather than steel. As oil searching in Pennsylvania grew in popularity in the late 1850s, prospectors used everything they could to keep it contained, and ancient wine and whiskey casks proved to be the best solution on hand. As a result, barrels have been present in oil production since the beginning. There were some differences in the early days, but by the late 1860s, they were attempting to standardize. They opted to sell oil in 40-gallon quantities, with a good will top-off of 2 gallons, based on King Edward IV’s herring industry regulations; the oil equivalent of a baker’s dozen.
However, these old wooden casks did not meet the same high quality criteria as the stainless steel wine barrels that Skolnik offers. As a result, improvements were sought. Nellie Bly created a remedy to the crummier containers after seeing some early mass-produced steel containers from John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil in 1905. Bly had created a new industry standard with the famous drums we all know and love, with a capacity of 55 gallons and crucial features such as the ribs that offer stiffness and robustness.
Even with these improved containers, the oil industry was still looking for ways to save money on shipping. This prompted to investments in tanker ships and pipelines with the goal of completely removing physical barrels. It didn’t help that the oil and the 55 gallon drum had already began to separate. The group “The 55 gallon steel drum was pushed further and further away from the industry that invented it since the “barrel” was still 42 gallons while the container was 55.
Meanwhile, oil corporations painted the barrels bright colors and adorned them with company branding to improve public impression of the barrels that remained. The beautifying project was so successful that these barrels from the mid-twentieth century helped to secure the distinctive look for future generations. The intriguing blue barrel was born out of this endeavour.
By the 1950s, tanker trucks, trains, and pipelines had largely eliminated barrels from the oil production chain. Instead, the barrels have found new uses in various industries, transporting supplies and materials for a wide range of products. As a result, the oil barrel is now merely a phrase we use to refer to catastrophic spills or energy outputs. The 55 gallon steel drum, on the other hand, is still going strong and will be for many years.
How much does it cost to produce a gallon of diesel?
The process of refining crude oil into gasoline and diesel is known as refining. The cost of refining varies depending on the standards of the finished product and the additives used to improve it. Summer gasoline, for example, has low evaporation rates, which are essential to reduce excessive air pollution. Additionally, gasoline is produced in a variety of power and performance levels known as octanes (i.e. 87, 89, and 93) the higher the octane, the higher the manufacturing cost. Detergents have been added to both gasoline and diesel to clean engines and improve performance. These additions also raise the price. Depending on whether summer or winter formulae are used, the cost of refining gasoline ranges from $.40 to $.70 per gallon. The cost of refining gasoline is $.60 per gallon in the case above. Diesel refinement costs $.49 per gallon.
How much do refineries make per barrel?
What does the graph above indicate? A profit of $17.50 per barrel of crude oil is generated by refining three barrels of crude oil to make and sell two barrels of gasoline and one barrel of diesel.
What about crude oil makes it possible for refineries to produce fuel? Crude oil is a mixture of light and heavy chemical components; at the extremes, light components become LPG, which we use to light our grills, and heavy components become asphalt in road tar.
Heavy and light components are combined in the middle of the spectrum to create motor fuels like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
The crude is ‘lighter’ the more light components are present in the crude oil combination. The higher the API gravity of the crude, the lighter it is. Similarly, the lower the API gravity, the more heavy components are included in the crude oil.
What has changed in the API gravity of oil feeding US refineries over the years? The graph below was created using the code below.
What does BBL stand for barrel?
The oil-carrying barrel is abbreviated as ‘bbl’ rather than ‘bl,’ despite the fact that it only has one ‘b’. When measured in terms of volume, crude oil is measured in barrels. Crude oil is measured in barrels with a capacity of 42 US gallons, or 159 litres, in Canada and the United States.
