What products are made from oil?

Petroleum fuels cars and warms houses, and it is used to make plastics that are then made into bicycles, toys and containers. Petroleum is even used in bubblegum and medicine.

Today’s world depends on transportation, and oil is essential to meet this demand. Developed economies, such as those in North America, currently use more oil than developing economies. They use more because they depend on private vehicles (cars, motorcycles, and light trucks) to travel significant distances. However, economic growth, increasing industrial activity, and more transportation use are greatly expanding the demand for oil in developing countries.

Transportation accounts for approximately two-thirds of all oil utilized in the United States. Since the 1920s, when millions of Americans owned mass-produced automobiles, gasoline has been the most common oil product used in transportation. Gasoline and diesel together comprise 86% of all transportation energy in the U.S. Most cars, motorcycles, and light trucks require gasoline; many heavier trucks, buses, and trains use diesel.

Transportation needs require 66% of all available petroleum to fuel cars, buses, trucks, and jets.That means 34% of oil is used for items such as:

Ammonia	Packaging for cough syrup and shampoo
Asphalt for paving roads	Pain reliever coating to protect the stomach
Automobiles	Paint binder and solvent
Balls	Resealable bags and containers
Bicycles	Detergent containers
Bubblegum	Dishwashing liquids
Child safety gates	Deodorants
Coolers	Electricity
Crayons	Eyeglasses
Heart valves	Fertilizers
Heat for houses	Garden hoses
Heavy-duty plastic (toolbox)	Gas ranges
Helmets	Pesticides
Ink	Plastic plates
Plastic wrap	Portable radios, CD and MP3 players
Medicines	Lubricants for machinery large and small, such as bicycles or printing presses
Outlet covers	Propane grills
Propane for heat	Refrigerators
Protective coating on inside of juice boxes	Tires
Toys	Varnishes
Vinyl siding	Rugs

One barrel of crude oil makes approximately:

20 gal / 75.70 L of finished motor gasoline

9.2 gal / 34.8 L of distillate fuel oil, includes both home heating oil and diesel fuel

4.1 gallon / 15.5 L s of kerosene-type jet fuel

2.3 gal / 8.7 L of residual fuel oil, or heavy oils used as fuels in industry, marine transportation and for electricpower generation

1.9 gal / 7.2 L of liquefied refinery gasses

1.9 gal / 7.2 L of still gas

1.8 gal / 6.8 L of coke

1.3 gal / 4.9 L of asphalt and road oil

1.2 gal / 4.5 L of petrochemical feedstocks

0.5 gal / 1.9 L of lubricants

0.2 gal / 0.76 L of kerosene

0.3 gal / 1.1 L other

(Source: www.txoga.org/articles/308/1/WHAT-A-BARREL-OF-CRUDE-OIL-MAKES )

Want to learn more?

A Young Person’s Guide to Oil and Gas Institute of Petroleum
Uses text and illustrations to explain why oil and gas are important and how they are formed, transported, and then turned into products

Adventures in Energy American Petroleum Institute
Uses interactive sound, visual effects, and text to explain oil and natural gas transportation, the refining process and use in daily life

Energy Kids’ Page US Energy Information Administration
Provides text and graphic illustrations with information on various energy resources including how each resource is formed and used