A standard barrel of crude oil contains 42 US gallons of oil.

Quick Scoop

  • In the modern oil industry, “one barrel” (abbreviated bbl) is defined as 42 US gallons.
  • In metric terms, that same barrel is about 159 liters.
  • Historically, this 42‑gallon size comes from 19th‑century wooden barrels that became a common standard for transporting oil and other liquids.

Extra Nuggets

  • Conversion shortcut:
    • 1 barrel of oil = 42 gallons
    • 10 barrels of oil = 420 gallons
    • 100 barrels of oil = 4,200 gallons
  • From one 42‑gallon barrel of crude, refineries typically get about 19–20 gallons of gasoline plus 11–13 gallons of diesel/distillate, with the rest becoming jet fuel, heating oil, and other products.

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