Why 42 gallons in a barrel

Rockefeller focused on efficiency and growth for his new petroleum refining business. Standard Oil introduce a steel version of the gallon oil barrel in with the same traditional bildged, cask-like appearance. Instead of buying oil barrels, Standard Oil bought tracts of oak timber, hauled the dried timber to Cleveland on its own wagons, and built the barrels in its own cooperage.

In the early 19th century, wooden barrels of all capacities were common containers of trade: hogsheads, puncheons, tierces, butts, tuns, and other long since forgotten terms. Become an AOGHS supporting member and help maintain this energy education website and expand historical research. For more information, contact bawells aoghs. All rights reserved. Wells and K. L Wells. Last Updated: October 4, Original Published Date: December 1, Skilled 19th century coopers made wooden barrels of all capacities, including hogsheads, puncheons, tierces, butts, and tuns.

Pin It on Pinterest. Image Credit: Visual Capitalist. The main function of gasoline is as a power source for passenger vehicles. Blending terminals blend gasoline with ethanol and additives like the extras in Shell V-Power may be added.

Different categories of gasoline are also created like Regular, Midgrade, and Premium. Diesel fuel like this is primarily used for the massive trucking industry. Why is heating oil included here with only 1 gallon? Heating oil has an identical chemical structure to ultra-low sulfur diesel and is used to heat buildings, especially in the Northeast United States. Prices for the two are basically interchangeable. Multiple grades of kerosene exist, though specifications vary depending on means of utilization.

This includes ethane, propane, butane, and natural gas. HGLs can be turned into plastic, rubber, heating fuels, or blending agents for other products. Residuals can be used for power plants, electric power generation, or bunker fuels in ships. These 6 gallons go to many, many products and have a wide range of uses from roads to candles.

Image Credit: Medium. Although it's been over a century since oil was delivered in actual barrels, 42 gallons remains the "per barrel" standard to this day. If you'd like to get yourself a 55 gallon drum of industrial-quality oil, head on over to Petroleum Service Company , the pioneer of online petroleum sales. OR, if all your oil needs are met for the time being, might we suggest learning about all the products made from a barrel of oil in our What's in a Barrel of Oil breakdown? Information is power, after all.

Back to Blog Homepage. Newsletter November by Petroleum Service Company on Nov 09 We know how the cold can really wreak havoc on all different types of equi.