EIA Reports 3M Barrel Crude Build as Distillate Stocks Fall 12% Below Average

By Julianne Geiger - Sep 23, 2026, 9:47 AM CDT Commercial crude stockpiles grew by 3 million barrels to 426.4 million barrels, pushing U.S. inventories 2% above the five-year average. Gasoline stocks dropped 1.7 million barrels and distillates fell 400,000 barrels, leaving distillate supplies 12% below historic norms. Crude futures rallied despite the build, with Brent climbing to $101.40 and WTI reaching $92.00 amid strong overall demand at 20.6 million bpd. Crude oil inventories in the United States saw an increase of 3 million barrels during the week ending September 18, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday. The increase brings commercial stockpiles to 426.4 million barrels, according to government data, which is now 2% above the five-year average for this time of year.The EIA’s data release follows API’s figures that were released a day earlier, which reported that crude oil inventories had gained 1.786 million barrels in the period.Crude futures were trading up at 10:05 a.m. in New York. Brent futures were trading at $101.40 per barrel—up $2.15 (2.17%) on the day but down roughly $6 per barrel from this same time last week. WTI was also trading up on the day, by $1.47 per barrel (+1.63%) on Wednesday morning at $92.00, down about $10 per barrel since this time last week. For total motor gasoline, the EIA reported that inventories decreased by 1.7 million barrels, after gaining 800,000 barrels in the week prior. The most recent figures showed that average daily gasoline production averaged 9.6 million barrels. For middle distillates, inventories decreased 400,000 barrels with production decreasing to an average of 5.2 million barrels daily. Distillate inventories are now 12% below the five-year average.Total products supplied—a proxy for U.S. oil demand—averaged 20.6 million barrels per day over the last four weeks, up 0.5% compared to the same period last year. Gasoline demand averaged 8.8 million barrels per day over the last four weeks, with the distillate four-week average supplied at 3.6 million barrels—down 0.3% year over year.By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.comMore Top Reads From Oilprice.comAsia's Crude Imports Hit Highest Level Since the Iran War BeganHormuz Traffic Running 80% Below Its 10-Day AverageTotalEnergies to Develop Offshore Gas Field to Boost Nigeria LNG Supply Download The Free Oilprice App Today Back to homepage