Oil Barrel Converter
Barrels to litres, gallons, cubic metres and tonnes, and the oil price per barrel as a price per litre, gallon or tonne.
One barrel of oil is 42 US gallons, or 158.987 litres. A tonne of crude is about 7.33 barrels on average (about 7.54 for Brent). At $70 a barrel, crude oil costs about $0.44 a litre, $1.67 a gallon or $513 a tonne.
Volume converter
- litres
- 158.987
- US gallons
- 42
- cubic metres
- 0.159
- tonnes
- 0.1364
Price converter
| Crude oil | USD |
|---|---|
| per barrel | $70 |
| per litre | $0.4403 |
| per US gallon | $1.667 |
| per cubic metre | $440.287 |
| per tonne | $513.1 |
This is the price of crude oil, not of fuel. For the pump price see the oil to gas price calculator. Exchange rates are not loaded: enter your own.
Oil price per barrel, litre, gallon and tonne
| Per barrel | Per litre | Per US gallon | Per tonne (7.33 bbl/t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | $0.31 | $1.19 | $367 |
| $70 | $0.44 | $1.67 | $513 |
| $100 | $0.63 | $2.38 | $733 |
| $150 | $0.94 | $3.57 | $1100 |
| $200 | $1.26 | $4.76 | $1466 |
The conversion factors
- Volume: 1 barrel = 42 US gallons = 158.987 litres = 0.158987 cubic metres. These are exact definitions, the same for every oil.
- Mass: barrels per tonne = 1,000 kg ÷ (density × 158.987 litres). Density comes from API gravity: specific gravity = 141.5 ÷ (API + 131.5). Heavier oil means fewer barrels per tonne.
- Grades: world average 7.33 bbl/t (Energy Institute); Brent about 38° API (7.54 bbl/t); WTI about 39.6° API (7.61 bbl/t). Cargo-to-cargo values vary.
Frequently asked questions
How many litres are in a barrel of oil?
158.987 litres. An oil barrel is defined as 42 US gallons, and a US gallon is 3.785411784 litres, so one barrel is 158.987294928 litres.
Why is a barrel of oil 42 gallons?
The 42-gallon barrel became the standard in the early US oil industry in the 1860s and 1870s and was later adopted for trade and statistics. Physical oil is no longer shipped in wooden barrels; the barrel is a unit of measurement.
How many barrels of oil are in a tonne?
It depends on the oil's density. The Energy Institute's Statistical Review uses 7.33 barrels per tonne as a world average. Lighter crudes have more barrels per tonne: about 7.54 for Brent (about 38° API) and 7.61 for WTI (about 39.6° API).
What is the price of crude oil per litre?
Divide the price per barrel by 158.987. At $70 a barrel, crude costs about $0.44 a litre or $1.67 a US gallon. That is the raw crude price, before refining, transport and taxes, so it is far below the price of petrol or diesel.
How much gasoline does a barrel of crude oil make?
According to EIA, US refineries produce about 19 to 20 gallons of motor gasoline and 11 to 12 gallons of distillate fuels (most of it diesel) from one 42-gallon barrel of crude, plus jet fuel and other products. The total output is about 45 gallons, because refined products are less dense than crude (processing gain).
What is the difference between a barrel and a barrel of oil equivalent (boe)?
A barrel measures volume. A barrel of oil equivalent is an energy unit used to add oil and gas together, typically about 5.8 million British thermal units. This converter works with physical barrels.
Sources (3)
ShowHide
Official or primary sources used for the facts above. Figures and terms change, so check the source before acting on them.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Metric and other physical conversion factors (SEDS Appendix B)1 barrel = 42 US gallons; litre and cubic metre equivalents.
- Energy Institute / bp — Statistical Review of World Energy: approximate conversion factors1 tonne of crude oil = 7.33 barrels, based on a worldwide average gravity.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Oil and petroleum products explained: refining crude oilProducts made from a 42-gallon barrel of crude oil and the processing gain.
Related
- Oil to gas price calculator: the pump price at any crude price
- What is Brent crude oil? Name, price history and the $200 question
- EIA weekly report: US crude stocks in million barrels
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