Where Does 

My Gasoline Come From ? 

The United States consumes over 20 million barrels (840 

million gallons) of petroleum products each day, almost half 

of it in the form of gasoline used in over 200 million motor 

vehicles with combined travel over 7 billion miles per day. 

Gasoline is made from crude oil, which was formed from 

the remains of tiny aquatic plants and animals that lived 

hundreds of millions of years ago. These remains were 

covered with layers of sediment, which over millions of 

years of extreme pressure and high temperatures became 

the mix of liquid hydrocarbons (an organic chemical 

compound of hydrogen and carbon) that we know as 

crude oil. Because crude oil is made up of a mixture of 

hydrocarbons, refi neries break down these hydrocarbons 

into different products. These “refi ned products” include 

gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, liquefi ed petroleum 

gases, residual fuel oil, and many other products . 

Products made from a Barrel of Crude Oil

(Gallons)

Notes: A 42-U.S. gallon barrel of crude oil yields slightly more than 44 

gallons of petroleum products. This is an average breakdown for a barrel 

and will vary based on a number of factors.

The most basic refi ning process is aimed at separating the 

crude oil into its various components. Crude oil is heated and 

put into a still — a distillation column — and different 

1.7

7.4

Other Products

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

Heavy Fuel Oil

Jet Fuel

Diesel Fuel & Heating Oil

Gasoline

1.5

19.4

10.5

4.1

1.7

hydrocarbon components boil off and can be recovered as they 

condense at different temperatures. Additional processing 

follows crude distillation, changing the molecular structure 

of the input with chemical reactions, some through variations 

in heat and pressure, some in the presence of a catalyst, 

a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction 

without being consumed in the reaction.

The characteristics of the gasoline produced depend on the 

type of crude oil that is used and the setup of the refi nery 

at which it is produced. Gasoline characteristics are also 

impacted by other ingredients that may be blended into it, 

such as ethanol. The performance of the gasoline must meet 

industry standards and environmental regulations that may 

depend on location.

In 2005, U.S. refi neries produced over 90 percent of the 

gasoline used in the United States. Although the United 

States is the world’s third largest crude oil producer, less 

than 35 percent of the crude oil used by U.S. refi neries was 

produced in the United States. Net petroleum imports (imports 

minus exports) account for 60 percent of our total petroleum 

consumption. About 50 percent of our petroleum imports are 

from countries in the Western Hemisphere, with 17 percent 

from the Persian Gulf, and 19 percent from Africa and 14 

percent from other regions 

U.S. Petroleum Import Sources, 2005 (Percentage)

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After shipment through the pipeline, gasoline is typically held 

in bulk storage terminals that often service many companies. 

At these terminals the gasoline is loaded into tanker trucks 

destined for various retail gas stations. The tanks in these 

trucks , which can typically hold up to 10,000 gallons, usually 

have several compartments, enabling them to transport 

different grades of gasoline or petroleum products. The 

truck tank is where the special additive packages of gasoline 

retailers get blended into the gasoline to differentiate one 

brand from another. In some areas, ethanol may be “splash 

blended” in the tanker to meet environmental requirements. 

When the tanker truck reaches a gas station, the truck 

operator unloads each grade of gasoline into the appropriate 

underground tanks at the station. 

From Refinery to Consumer

After crude oil is refi ned into gasoline and other petroleum 

products, the products must be distributed to consumers. The 

majority of gasoline is shipped fi rst by pipeline to storage 

terminals near consuming areas, and then loaded into trucks 

for delivery to individual gas stations. Gasoline and other 

products are sent through shared pipelines in “batches.” Since 

these batches are not physically separated in the pipeline, 

some mixing or “commingling” of products occurs. This 

is why the quality of the gasoline and other products must 

be tested as they enter and leave the pipeline to make sure 

they meet appropriate specifi cations. Whenever the product 

fails to meet local, state, or federal product specifi cations, it 

must be removed and trucked back to a refi nery for further 

processing.

Distribution

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Besides the different grades of fuel, gasoline sold by a single 

company may differ depending on location or season. Some 

areas of the country are required to use gasoline that is 

specially formulated to reduce certain emissions. Environmental programs, aimed at reducing carbon monoxide, smog 

and air toxics, include the Federal and/or State-required 

oxygenated, reformulated, and low-volatility (evaporating 

more slowly) gasolines. These distinct and area specifi c 

gasoline requirements mean that gasoline is not a homogenous 

product nationwide. Gasoline produced for sale in one area 

may not be suitable for use in another area that has a supply 

shortage.

Can I tell which companies purchase imported 

crude oil or gasoline?

While EIA cannot identify which companies are selling 

imported gasoline, EIA does collect data on which 

companies import crude oil and refined products. 

However, the fact that a given company imported crude 

oil or gasoline does not mean that those particular 

imports will end-up being sold to motorists as that 

company’s brand of gasoline. The origin of the crude 

oil that a refi nery processes is determined by market 

economics at a given time and may change from monthto-month or even day-to-day. Company-level import data 

can be found at: 

 http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/fwd/cli.html

Can I tell which country or State the gasoline 

at my local station comes from?

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) cannot 

defi nitively say where gasoline at a given station originated 

since EIA does not collect data on the source of the 

gasoline sold at retail outlets. The name on the service 

station sign does not tell the whole story. The fact that 

you purchase gasoline from a given company does not 

necessarily mean that the gasoline was actually produced 

by that particular company’s refi neries. While gasoline 

is sold at about 167,000 retail outlets across the nation, 

about one-third of these stations are “unbranded” dealers 

that may sell gasoline of any brand. The remainder of the 

outlets are “branded” stations, but may not necessarily be 

selling gasoline produced at that company’s refi neries. 

This is because gasoline from different refi neries is often 

combined for shipment by pipeline, and companies owning 

service stations in the same area may be purchasing 

gasoline at the same bulk terminal. In that case, the only 

difference between the gasoline at station X versus the 

gasoline at station Y may be the small amount of additives 

that those companies add to the gasoline before it gets to 

the pump. Even if we knew at which company’s refi nery 

the gasoline was produced, the source of the crude oil 

used at that refi nery may vary on a day-to-day basis. Most 

refi ners use a mix of crude oils from various domestic 

and foreign sources. The mix of crude oils can change 

based on the relative cost and availability of crude oil from 

different sources. 

Grades and Formulations

Service stations usually sell several grades of gasoline: 

premium, mid-grade, and regular. These grades have different 

“octane ratings” which refl ect the gasoline’s anti-knock 

properties. The owner’s manual for your car tells you what 

grade of gasoline your car needs. Most cars can run on regular 

gasoline, which is the cheapest. 
The Energy Information Administration is 

an independent statistical agency within 

the U.S. Department of Energy whose sole 

purpose is to provide reliable and unbiased 

energy information.

For further information, contact:

National Energy Information Center

Washington, DC 20585

Telephone: (202) 586-8800

E-Mail: infoctr@eia.doe.gov 

&

EIA’s Web site at:

www.eia.doe.gov