U.S. Crude Oil Stockpiles Fall by 400,000 Barrels
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# Weekly U.S. Crude Oil Storage Report: September 4, 2026
U.S. commercial crude oil stockpiles (excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) fell by 0.4 million barrels compared to the prior week. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), commercial inventories stood at 424.1 million barrels for the week ending September 4, 2026, aligning precisely with the five-year average for this period.
## Refinery Operations and Output
During the week ending September 4, 2026, U.S. crude oil refinery inputs rose by 91,000 barrels per day from the prior week’s average, reaching 17.6 million barrels per day. Refineries ran at 97.8% of their total operable capacity.
* **Gasoline production** declined, averaging 9.3 million barrels per day.
* **Distillate fuel production** rose, averaging 5.3 million barrels per day.
## Import Activity
U.S. crude oil imports grew by 53,000 barrels per day from the previous week, averaging 6.8 million barrels per day. Over the last four weeks, crude imports averaged 6.6 million barrels per day, marking a 2.3% increase compared to the same timeframe last year.
* **Motor gasoline imports** (combining finished gasoline and blending components) averaged 464,000 barrels per day.
* **Distillate fuel imports** averaged 185,000 barrels per day.
## Product Inventory Levels
* **Total motor gasoline stockpiles** rose by 1.3 million barrels, remaining roughly 5% below the five-year seasonal average. Both finished gasoline and blending components saw inventory gains.
* **Distillate fuel stockpiles** grew by 2.1 million barrels, sitting approximately 13% below the five-year average for this time of year.
* **Propane/propylene stockpiles** surged by 3.1 million barrels, placing them 27% above the historical five-year average.
* **Total commercial petroleum stockpiles** expanded by 6.3 million barrels overall.
## Fuel Demand (Products Supplied)
Over the past four weeks, total petroleum products supplied averaged 20.1 million barrels per day, representing a 3.7% decline compared to the same period last year.
* **Motor gasoline demand** averaged 8.8 million barrels per day over the last four weeks, down 1.4% year-over-year.
* **Distillate fuel demand** averaged 3.7 million barrels per day, down 2.6% compared to the same period last year.
* **Jet fuel demand** dropped by 2.3% relative to the corresponding four-week period last year.
