US Crude Oil Inventories
US commercial crude oil inventories (excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) fell 3.1 million barrels to 412.5 million barrels in the week to 16 October 2026, 3% below the five-year average for this time of year. Gasoline stocks fell 3.0 million barrels and distillates rose 1.7 million barrels. The SPR held 282.7 million barrels. WTI was $107.89 a barrel on 20 October 2026 and Brent $115.22. Next EIA report: Wednesday 28 October 2026.
Commercial crude stocks vs the five-year range
last 52 weeks · million barrelsThe Last 12 Weeks
Week ending Friday. Stocks in million barrels; production and trade in million barrels a day.
| Week to | Crude | Change | Gasoline | Distillates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16 | 412.5M | −3.06M | 205.3M | 104.3M |
| Oct 9 | 415.6M | −8.56M | 208.3M | 102.6M |
| Oct 2 | 424.1M | −3.19M | 204.7M | 105.1M |
| Sep 25 | 427.3M | +0.92M | 204.4M | 105.2M |
| Sep 18 | 426.4M | +2.97M | 206.0M | 107.4M |
| Sep 11 | 423.4M | −0.64M | 207.7M | 107.9M |
| Sep 4 | 424.1M | −0.39M | 206.9M | 106.3M |
| Aug 28 | 424.5M | −4.45M | 205.7M | 104.2M |
| Aug 21 | 428.9M | +0.10M | 206.8M | 103.4M |
| Aug 14 | 428.8M | +4.41M | 209.4M | 105.6M |
| Aug 7 | 424.4M | +17.4M | 208.7M | 107.1M |
| Jul 31 | 407.0M | +2.48M | 209.7M | 107.2M |
Strategic Petroleum Reserve and commercial crude since 1982
million barrelsOil Prices and the Gold/Oil Ratio
| Latest | Week before | Year before (month avg) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WTI spot ($/bbl) | $107.89 Oct 20 | $95.39 | $60.54 |
| Brent spot ($/bbl) | $115.22 | $125.78 | $63.96 |
| Gold/oil ratio | 38.4 barrels per oz | average since 1986: 20.6 (monthly averages) | |
Year by Year
| Year | Crude stocks (end) | SPR (end) | WTI (avg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (latest) | 412.5M | 282.7M | $86.71 |
| 2025 | 422.9M | 413.2M | $65.60 |
| 2024 | 415.6M | 393.6M | $76.67 |
| 2023 | 431.1M | 354.4M | $77.76 |
| 2022 | 420.6M | 372.4M | $94.93 |
| 2021 | 417.9M | 593.7M | $68.06 |
| 2020 | 493.5M | 638.1M | $38.74 |
| 2019 | 429.9M | 635.0M | $57.34 |
| 2018 | 441.4M | 649.1M | $64.73 |
| 2017 | 424.5M | 663.7M | $51.04 |
| 2016 | 479.0M | 695.1M | $43.51 |
| 2015 | 455.1M | 695.1M | $48.37 |
| 2014 | 353.0M | 691.0M | $92.99 |
| 2013 | 330.7M | 696.0M | $97.82 |
| 2012 | 332.2M | 695.0M | $94.11 |
| 2011 | 307.2M | 696.0M | $94.81 |
| 2010 | 313.9M | 726.5M | $79.01 |
| 2009 | 308.0M | 726.1M | $62.04 |
| 2008 | 301.1M | 701.8M | $99.07 |
| 2007 | 271.9M | 696.4M | $72.91 |
| 2006 | 303.2M | 688.6M | $65.93 |
| 2005 | 305.5M | 684.6M | $56.59 |
| 2004 | 275.4M | 674.0M | $41.83 |
| 2003 | 254.5M | 636.4M | $31.09 |
| 2002 | 262.1M | 598.9M | $26.39 |
| 2001 | 293.6M | 549.0M | $25.89 |
| 2000 | 272.8M | 541.2M | $30.58 |
| 1999 | 274.6M | 567.7M | $19.50 |
| 1998 | 320.7M | 568.5M | $14.28 |
| 1997 | 296.2M | 563.4M | $20.52 |
| 1996 | 276.1M | 567.5M | $22.28 |
| 1995 | 284.6M | 591.6M | $18.50 |
| 1994 | 312.8M | 591.7M | $17.21 |
| 1993 | 323.5M | 587.0M | $18.39 |
| 1992 | 301.1M | 574.6M | $20.58 |
| 1991 | 308.9M | 568.5M | $21.41 |
| 1990 | 315.9M | 585.7M | $24.43 |
| 1989 | 324.3M | 579.9M | $19.73 |
| 1988 | 313.7M | 559.5M | $16.02 |
| 1987 | 339.2M | 540.2M | $19.13 |
| 1986 | 306.6M | 511.0M | $14.97 |
| 1985 | 298.6M | 492.7M | — |
| 1984 | 322.3M | 449.2M | — |
| 1983 | 327.0M | 378.3M | — |
| 1982 | 330.2M | 293.2M | — |
Crude Oil Inventories: FAQ
Did US crude inventories rise or fall this week?
In the week to 16 October 2026 commercial crude stocks fell 3.1 million barrels to 412.5 million barrels, according to the EIA report released 21 October 2026. Stocks at Cushing, Oklahoma (the delivery point for WTI futures) rose 0.99 million barrels to 27.6 million barrels.
When does the EIA release the weekly petroleum report?
Usually on Wednesday at 10:30 am Eastern time, covering the week that ended the previous Friday. In weeks with a federal holiday EIA moves it, usually to Thursday at noon. The next release is due on Wednesday 28 October 2026.
How much oil is in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
The SPR held 282.7 million barrels in the week to 16 October 2026. Its record was about 726.6 million barrels (January 2010), and the latest figure is the lowest since October 1982. The government releases SPR oil in supply emergencies or when Congress orders sales, and refills it by buying oil or taking back oil it lent.
Why does a gold site track oil?
Oil prices feed into inflation, and inflation expectations are one of the things that move gold. The gold/oil ratio (barrels of oil one ounce of gold buys) is also a common way to compare the two: it was 38.4 on 20 October 2026, against an average of 20.6 since 1986. See gold vs oil since 1960 for the monthly history.
Where does the data come from?
From the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Weekly Petroleum Status Report and its spot price tables (public domain). Five-year averages and ranges, weekly changes and the gold/oil ratio are our calculations.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Petroleum Status Report (21 Oct 2026) and EIA spot prices for crude oil (public domain). Five-year averages and ranges, weekly and yearly figures and the gold/oil ratio are Corgano's calculations; gold prices are COMEX front-month futures closes.
See also: gold vs oil since 1960 · gold vs gasoline · WTI price history · Fed funds rate · economic calendar.
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For essays, articles and research. Prices on this page update daily, so the citations include today's date as the date you accessed it.
@misc{corgano2026uscrudeoilinventories, author = {{Corgano}}, title = {US Crude Oil Inventories}, howpublished = {\url{https://goldprice.corgano.com/crude-oil-inventories}}, year = {2026}, note = {Corgano Gold Price, accessed 2026-10-26}}