The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve
The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve held 283.0 million barrels in the week ending Oct 9, 2026 — down 132.5 million barrels (32%) from 415.4 million on Mar 20, 2026. Over the past four weeks it fell by 2.0 million barrels, about 70 thousand barrels a day, and it is now about 40% full against its roughly 714 million barrel design capacity. The oil sits in salt caverns at four Gulf Coast sites and can be released on a presidential order.
Compare other countries on strategic petroleum reserves by country. The SPR is emergency oil already produced, not proven reserves in the ground, and not the commercial stocks in the weekly EIA report.
SPR Level — Weekly Since 1982
Weekly end-of-week crude stocks in the SPR, August 1982 to Oct 9, 2026, from EIA series WCSSTUS1 (2,298 weeks). Dashed line: the reserve's ~714 million barrel design capacity. Download the series (CSV).
Why the US SPR Has Fallen in 2026
On 11 March 2026 IEA members agreed a coordinated release of 400 million barrels in response to the Middle East supply disruption. When contributions were confirmed on 19 March they totalled 426 million barrels, the largest collective action in the agency's history, with the United States committing 172.2 million (IEA).
The Department of Energy is delivering the US share as an emergency exchange, not a sale: companies borrow SPR crude now and must return it later with additional barrels as a premium. DOE put the reserve at about 415 million barrels when it opened the first request for proposals on 13 March (DOE).
EIA's weekly data show the reserve down 132.5 million barrels from 415.4 million in the week ending Mar 20, 2026, less than the full 172.2 million barrel commitment. Because the oil is loaned, the returned barrels and their premium will go back into the reserve; DOE has not published a cumulative delivery total.
Key Numbers
| Measure | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Current level | 283.0 M bbl | EIA weekly, week ending Oct 9, 2026 (auto-updates) |
| 52-week high | 415.4 M bbl | Mar 20, 2026 |
| Last time this low | 283.0 M bbl | Week ending Oct 2, 2026 |
| Design capacity | ≈714 M bbl | 4 salt-cavern sites, TX & LA |
| All-time peak | 726.6 M bbl | Week ending Jan 1, 2010 |
| Post-2022 trough | 346.8 M bbl | Week ending Jul 7, 2023, after the 180 M bbl 2022 emergency sale |
| Max drawdown rate | ≈4.4 M bbl/day | Oil reaches market ~13 days after a presidential order |
Major SPR Releases
| Year | Event | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Operation Desert Storm — first emergency use of the SPR, alongside the IEA's contingency plan. (DOE) | 17.3 Mb sold |
| 2005 | Hurricane Katrina, part of a 60 Mb IEA collective action. (DOE) | 20.8 Mb (11.0 sold, 9.8 loaned) |
| 2011 | Libyan supply loss, part of a 60 Mb IEA collective action. (DOE) | 30.6 Mb sold |
| 2022 | Russia's invasion of Ukraine — the largest sale in the reserve's history, alongside two IEA actions totalling 182.7 Mb. (DOE) | 180.0 Mb sold |
| 2026 | Middle East disruption — US share of the 426 Mb IEA collective action, delivered as an emergency exchange (loaned barrels to be returned with a premium). (IEA) | 172.2 Mb committed |
SPR FAQ
How much oil is in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve right now?
The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve held 283.0 million barrels in the week ending Oct 9, 2026 — down 132.5 million barrels (32%) from 415.4 million on Mar 20, 2026. Over the past four weeks it fell by 2.0 million barrels, about 70 thousand barrels a day, and it is now about 40% full against its roughly 714 million barrel design capacity. This figure comes from EIA's weekly series WCSSTUS1 and updates automatically.
Is the SPR at its lowest level ever?
No. The last week the reserve held this little or less was Oct 2, 2026 (283.0 million barrels). Its all-time high was 726.6 million barrels in the week ending Jan 1, 2010.
How long would the SPR last?
At 283.0 million barrels the SPR equals about 47 days of US gross crude imports (6.0 million barrels a day in EIA's week ending Oct 9, 2026). That is a comparison, not a real duration: the reserve can only be drawn at up to about 4.4 million barrels a day, and in practice it is used to replace part of a disrupted supply for weeks or months rather than all imports at once. The IEA's usual "days of net imports" measure does not apply because the US is a net petroleum exporter.
Where is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve kept?
In roughly 60 underground salt caverns at four sites along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast (Bryan Mound, Big Hill, West Hackberry, Bayou Choctaw). Salt caverns are cheap, secure and self-sealing, and the Gulf location sits next to half of US refining capacity and major pipelines.
Does releasing SPR oil actually lower gas prices?
Modestly and temporarily. Studies of the 2022 release of 180 million barrels, the largest sale in the reserve's history, credit it with roughly 15–40 cents per gallon of relief at the peak. Releases work best against short disruptions; they cannot offset a sustained global shortfall, and barrels sold must eventually be bought back.
Is the US SPR the largest in the world?
It has the largest design capacity of any single government-owned reserve, about 714 million barrels. By barrels actually held, it is not: China and Japan currently hold more emergency oil once agency, obligated industry and (for China) estimated stocks are counted. See strategic petroleum reserves by country for the full ranking.