Understanding US Oil Barrels to Imperial Quarts Conversion
A US oil barrel (bbl) is the petroleum industry's standard 42-US-gallon barrel, about 158.9873 litres, used for crude-oil trading and output figures. An Imperial quart is one-quarter of an Imperial gallon, equal to 1.13652 litres or two Imperial pints in the British system. This conversion turns bulk oil volumes into the traditional Commonwealth quart measure.
Conversion Formula
To convert US Oil Barrels to Imperial Quarts, multiply by this factor:
Step-by-Step Example
Convert 25 US Oil Barrels to Imperial Quarts.
How to Convert US Oil Barrels to Imperial Quarts
Convert petroleum barrels into British quarts with a single multiplication.
- Identify the barrels: Take the volume in US oil barrels.
- Multiply by the factor: Use 139.8893 Imperial quarts for each barrel.
- State the answer: The result is the equivalent volume in Imperial quarts.
- Worked result: For 25 barrels, Imperial quarts.
US Oil Barrels to Imperial Quarts conversion table
| US Oil Barrels (bbl) | Imperial Quarts (imp-qt) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 139.8893 |
| 2 | 279.7785 |
| 3 | 419.6678 |
| 4 | 559.5571 |
| 5 | 699.4463 |
| 6 | 839.3356 |
| 7 | 979.2248 |
| 8 | 1119.114 |
| 9 | 1259.003 |
| 10 | 1398.893 |
| 15 | 2098.339 |
| 20 | 2797.785 |
| 25 | 3497.232 |
| 30 | 4196.678 |
| 40 | 5595.571 |
| 50 | 6994.463 |
| 60 | 8393.356 |
| 70 | 9792.248 |
| 80 | 11191.14 |
| 90 | 12590.03 |
| 100 | 13988.93 |
| 150 | 20983.39 |
| 200 | 27977.85 |
| 250 | 34972.32 |
| 300 | 41966.78 |
| 400 | 55955.71 |
| 500 | 69944.63 |
| 600 | 83933.56 |
| 700 | 97922.48 |
| 800 | 111911.4 |
| 900 | 125900.3 |
| 1000 | 139889.3 |
| 2000 | 279778.5 |
| 3000 | 419667.8 |
| 4000 | 559557.1 |
| 5000 | 699446.3 |
| 10000 | 1398893 |
| 25000 | 3497232 |
| 50000 | 6994463 |
| 100000 | 13988930 |
| 250000 | 34972320 |
| 500000 | 69944630 |
| 1000000 | 139889300 |
Which quart do you mean?
“quart” means different units by region. This page uses the Imperial quart (UK). 1 US Oil Barrels in each:
| Definition | Result |
|---|---|
| US quart 946 mL | 168 qt |
| Imperial quart (UK) 1.137 L | 139.8893 imp-qt (this page) |
What is the US Oil Barrel?
The US oil barrel (bbl) is a unit of volume equal to 42 US gallons, used almost exclusively for crude oil and petroleum products. It is the standard trading unit of the global oil industry.
Definition
The US oil barrel is defined as exactly 42 US liquid gallons:
Precisely, 1 bbl = 158.987294928 liters. This differs from other "barrel" definitions: the US fluid barrel is 31.5 gallons, the US federal beer barrel is 31 gallons, and the UK barrel is about 163.66 liters.
Origin and History
The 42-gallon standard traces to the early Pennsylvania oil boom of the 1860s. Producers adopted the 42-gallon "tierce" wooden barrel, which was slightly larger than the common 40-gallon whiskey barrel, allowing for spillage and evaporation losses during transport. In 1872 the Petroleum Producers Association formalized 42 gallons as the standard, and it endures today even though oil is now moved by pipeline and tanker rather than in physical barrels.
Law and Notable Facts
The oil barrel is not an SI unit but is deeply embedded in commodity markets, where crude prices are quoted per barrel and production in barrels per day (bbl/d). The abbreviation "bbl" is thought to stand for "blue barrels" once used by Standard Oil. Physical 42-gallon barrels are rarely used in the modern industry.
Real-World Examples and Conversions
- 1 bbl = 42 US gallons ≈ 34.97 imperial gallons ≈ 158.99 liters.
- Global crude oil consumption is roughly 100 million barrels per day.
- A single barrel of crude yields about 19 to 20 US gallons of gasoline after refining.
- 1 metric ton of crude oil is roughly 7.33 barrels, depending on density.
What is the Imperial Quart?
The imperial quart is a unit of volume in the British imperial system, equal to one quarter of an imperial gallon. It is used in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries for measuring liquids such as milk, beer, and oil.
Definition
An imperial quart is defined as exactly one quarter of an imperial gallon, or equivalently two imperial pints. Since the imperial gallon is exactly 4.54609 litres, the imperial quart follows directly:
Expressed exactly, one imperial quart equals 1.1365225 litres (1136.5225 mL), or 40 imperial fluid ounces.
Origin and History
The quart descends from the Latin quartus ("a fourth"), reflecting its status as a quarter of a gallon. Quarts existed in various English measures for centuries, but the modern imperial quart was fixed by the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824, which defined the imperial gallon and standardised the pint and quart that derive from it. This replaced the older, differing wine and ale gallons used previously.
Law and Notable Facts
The imperial quart remains a legal unit of measure in the United Kingdom, though metric units are now standard for most trade. It is notably larger than the US liquid quart: the imperial quart is about 1.1365 L while the US liquid quart is roughly 0.9464 L, making the imperial quart approximately 20% larger. This difference stems from the imperial and US systems adopting different gallon definitions.
Real-World Examples and Conversions
- One imperial quart of milk is about 1.137 litres, slightly more than a standard 1-litre carton.
- A recipe calling for 2 imperial quarts of stock needs roughly 2.273 litres.
- One imperial quart equals 40 imperial fluid ounces, versus 32 US fluid ounces in a US quart.
- Four imperial quarts make exactly one imperial gallon (4.54609 L).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Imperial quarts equal one US oil barrel?
One US oil barrel equals 139.8893 Imperial quarts, since the barrel is about 158.9873 litres and each Imperial quart is 1.13652 litres.
Is an Imperial quart the same as a US quart?
No. An Imperial quart (1.13652 L) is about 20% larger than a US liquid quart (0.946353 L), so a barrel gives 139.89 Imperial quarts versus 168 US quarts.
How do I reverse this conversion?
Multiply the Imperial-quart figure by 0.007148511 to get back to US oil barrels.
When is this conversion practical?
It bridges petroleum-scale volumes and the Imperial quart still used informally in the UK, which helps in teaching, comparisons, and unit-system exercises.
What is 5 barrels in Imperial quarts?
Multiply 5 by 139.8893 to get 699.447 Imperial quarts.