A barrel of crude oil — the equivalent of 42 gallons, roughly 159 litres — is not a single product, but an entire supply chain concentrated in one container. According to an analysis by Exxon specialists, cited in the information material, here is how the contents of a barrel typically break down after refining.
What a barrel of crude oil yields, on average:
- ⛽ 42% → petrol (gasoline)
- ⛽ 27% → diesel
- ✈️ 10% → aviation fuel (kerosene)
- 🔥 4% → LPG (propane/butane)
- 🧪 7% → petrochemical feedstocks (naphtha)
- 🚢 5% → marine fuel / heavy fuel oil
- 💧 2% → lubricants and wax
- 🖤 3% → asphalt (bitumen)
What is most striking is that more than half of every barrel does not become “car fuel”. Kerosene keeps aircraft in the air, naphtha feeds the plastics and chemicals industry, bitumen paves roads, and lubricants keep machinery running.
That is why oil price fluctuations have a far wider impact than a simple change at the pump: they affect aviation, maritime transport, manufacturing, and even the asphalt under our feet. For the maritime industry, a barrel means both fuel for propulsion and auxiliary engines and a raw material for the lubricants, coatings and composite materials used in shipbuilding and ship maintenance.
Note: exact yields vary depending on the type of crude oil and the refinery configuration.
Source: Exxon analysis of the products obtained from a barrel of crude oil, cited in the information material. Photo: oil refinery, Anacortes, Washington (USA) – Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.