Oil Economic Geography

How much crude oil does it take to make a gallon of diesel compared to a gallon of regular?

I know, in general autos get better gas mileage from diesel fuel, but as I understand it diesel fuel is more energy dense and I assume takes more crude oil to make. How much exactly? I would like to calculate how many miles one can drive on a barrel (42 gallons) of crude oil given in a vehicle that gets, say 50 MPG a) diesel, b) regular Knowing how much diesel and oil actually produced in the USA isn't the answer I'm looking for. This number is determined by supply and demand. I want to know in terms of energy. I know from wikipedia regular gas has 125,000 btu's of energy and diesel 138,700. Does it take the same amount of crude oil to make a gallon of either?

Public Comments

1. One barrel of crude oil, when refined, produces about 20 gallons of finished motor gasoline, and 7 gallons of diesel, as well as other petroleum products. Most of the petroleum products are used to produce energy. For instance, many people across the United States use propane to heat their homes and fuel their cars. Other products made from petroleum include: ink, crayons, bubble gum, dishwashing liquids, deodorant, eyeglasses, records, tires, ammonia, and heart valves. Now that you know you can do the mpg calculation.