Energy Information Administration · · Revised 496 series
US emergency oil reserve falls to 283.1m barrels in September 2026; diesel at $6.29
The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), the government's emergency crude stockpile, held 283.1 million barrels at end-September. On-highway diesel averaged $6.29 a gallon, up from $5.46 in August.
A data update from FactIQ, written from Energy Information Administration figures. What is FactIQ?
Key figures
- US Strategic Petroleum Reserve crude stocks, end-September 2026
- 283.1m bbldown 132m bbl from 415.4m in February2022-08-012026-07-01U.S. Monthly Ending Stocks of Crude Oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)
- US average on-highway diesel price, September 2026
- $6.29/galup from $5.46 in August and $3.72 in February
- US distillate fuel stocks, end-September 2026
- 105.1m bblagainst 125.5m a year earlier
- US average regular gasoline price, September 2026
- $4.63up from $4.35
The emergency reserve is far lower, but September's draw was small
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is the US government's emergency crude oil stockpile. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Monthly Energy Review shows it held 283.1 million barrels at end-September. That is down 132 million barrels from 415.4 million in February. It is well below the 2023 low of 347.2 million. The September draw was 2.8 million barrels, against 18.9 million in August and 33–39 million a month in May–June. The slowdown came before the Group of Seven (G7) release agreed in October. Commercial crude stocks outside the reserve were flat at 424.6 million barrels. Total petroleum stocks fell to 1,521 million barrels, from 1,695 million in March.
Fuel stocks are tighter than a year ago and pump prices are rising
- Distillate stocks, which include diesel: 105.1 million barrels, against 125.5 million a year earlier.
- Motor gasoline stocks: 204.7 million barrels, against 223.1 million a year earlier.
- On-highway diesel price: $6.29 a gallon in September, up from $5.46 in August and $3.72 in February.
- Regular gasoline price: $4.63 a gallon, up from $4.35.
US output and drilling have picked up
Crude oil production rose to 13.95 million barrels a day (b/d) from 13.85 million in August. Oil and gas rigs rose to 593 from 545 in April. Crude exports recovered to 4.02 million b/d. Net petroleum exports were 3.94 million b/d, below the May peak of 5.93 million. Total products supplied, a measure of fuel demand, rose to 20.90 million b/d from 20.30 million.
Refiner crude costs rose in August, and past data saw small revisions
The composite refiner acquisition cost, the average price refiners pay for crude, was $85.65 a barrel in August. It was $83.65 in July and peaked at $104.62 in May. Total primary energy use for 2025 was revised to 96,466 trillion British thermal units (Btu) from 96,473. Industrial petroleum use for June 2026 was revised to 5,744 thousand b/d from 5,779 thousand.
Source: Energy Information Administration. See all EIA data in FactIQ.