Energy / Oil & Gas
EIA reports refinery shift toward diesel and jet fuel
Gasoline yields remained below the five-year low through August as distillate margins stayed high, according to the EIA.
Status: source-checked.
U.S. refiners produced a smaller share of gasoline and emphasized diesel-type distillate fuel and jet fuel in 2026, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Nov. 5 in an analysis of data through August.
The shift matters because refiners can adjust their product mix in response to prices and demand. The EIA attributed this year’s changes to higher margins for distillates and jet fuel as global supplies of those products became constrained.
Gasoline normally accounts for about 45% to 50% of refinery output from each barrel of crude processed, according to the agency. Its yield averaged below 45% from January through August and was below the 2021-2025 low in every month covered by the analysis.
Jet fuel’s share exceeded 12% for the first time in March and remained at or above that level through August, the EIA said. Distillate fuel yields were above their five-year average in every month covered by the agency’s report.
The analysis uses the EIA’s Petroleum Supply Monthly, which was available through August. It does not establish the product mix at individual refineries today or forecast how long the pattern will last. The underlying monthly figures were not independently recomputed.
What we know / what we don't
What we know
- EIA reported January–August 2026 gasoline yields averaging under 45%.
What we don't know
- How long the pattern will persist is not forecast in the analysis.
The source record