US commercial crude oil inventory ·EIA week ending August 28, 2026
US commercial crude storage holds 424.5 M bbl as of August 28, 2026, down 1.0% week over week.
The Desk's read
Barrels are piling up faster than the working supply itself is stretched. US commercial crude inventories, the industry's working supply, stand at 424.5 MM bbl as of 2026-08-28, mid-range for its 44-year record at the 80th percentile. Yet the pace tells a livelier tale: the trailing 4-report change sits at the 92nd percentile of all such stretches, and the 30-day change is +4.9%. A fast build onto a mid-range pile still leaves that pile only mid-range. We watch next Wednesday's EIA weekly report for whether the build pace holds.
On the August 28, 2026 figures.
US commercial crude oil inventory
September 10, 2021 to August 28, 2026
Weekly US commercial crude oil stocks excluding the SPR, in millions of barrels. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Petroleum Status Report.
We watch US crude inventories weekly.
One free email at the next notable move in US commercial crude stocks: a record crossing or a sharp draw or build. Nothing otherwise.
Weekly receipts letter · optional daily briefing · record-break alerts · unsubscribe anytime
About this series
Commercial crude oil held in US tanks and terminals, excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Reported weekly by the U.S. EIA. The headline supply number the market trades on release day.
Since 2015, today's reading ranks in the 25th percentile. US commercial crude stocks are running below the modern era's typical level. It is 3.1M bbl above its same-week five-year average. Across the full EIA record back to 1982 it ranks in the 80th percentile; storage capacity, pipelines, and production have shifted enough since then that the modern cohort is the better yardstick for today's operating conditions.
Weekly US commercial crude oil stocks excluding the SPR, in millions of barrels. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Petroleum Status Report. Updated weekly. View this series at eia.gov ↗
US crude oil inventory: common questions
- What are US commercial crude oil inventories?
- They are the volume of crude oil held in commercial tanks and terminals across the United States, excluding the government's Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports the total every week in its Weekly Petroleum Status Report.
- Why do crude oil inventories move the market?
- The weekly change shows whether supply is outrunning refinery demand or falling behind it. A larger build than expected points to softer demand or heavier supply, and a draw points the other way. Traders compare the reported change to expectations, not just the level.
More questions
- What is the difference between commercial crude and the SPR?
- Commercial crude is owned by refiners, traders, and other private operators and moves with the market. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is government-owned emergency stock held in salt caverns. This page tracks the commercial total, and the SPR has its own page.
- How often are US crude oil inventories updated?
- The EIA publishes the figure every week, typically Wednesday around 10:30 a.m. Eastern for the prior Friday's week. This page reads that same EIA series and shows the latest reading with its as-of date.