# U.S. distillate demand | PIER20 benchmarks Where does U.S. distillate demand sit relative to its five-year seasonal average? This page shows the four-week average of U.S. product supplied of distillate fuel oil (EIA series WDIUPUS2). Each week is compared to the same week in the five full years before that week. The chart shows the five-year seasonal average only. It does not show a min or max range. A reading above the five-year average is high for the season. A reading below is low for the season. Distillate demand rises through the autumn into the winter heating season and runs on diesel's year-round freight base. This is a seasonal gauge. It is not a price forecast. As of **31 July 2026**, the latest readings are Distillate demand (4-week avg) at **3584.75 Thousand Barrels per Day** and Five-year average at **3703.90 Thousand Barrels per Day**. The Distillate demand (4-week avg) line is up 1.8% over the past year and below its long-run median of 3772.75 Thousand Barrels per Day. ## Summary statistics (full history) | Series | First | Latest | Min | Max | |---|---|---|---|---| | Distillate demand (4-week avg) | 3017.75 | 3584.75 | 2651.50 | 4701.00 | | Five-year average | | 3703.90 | 2749.19 | 4462.37 | ## Last 24 readings | Date | Distillate demand (4-week avg) | Five-year average | |---|---|---| | 20 Feb 2026 | 4351.75 | 4046.25 | | 27 Feb 2026 | 4198.75 | 4006.72 | | 6 Mar 2026 | 4102.75 | 3979.75 | | 13 Mar 2026 | 4014.25 | 3948.07 | | 20 Mar 2026 | 3932.50 | 3903.03 | | 27 Mar 2026 | 4017.75 | 3857.78 | | 3 Apr 2026 | 4016.50 | 3804.18 | | 10 Apr 2026 | 3876.75 | 3783.60 | | 17 Apr 2026 | 3992.75 | 3776.87 | | 24 Apr 2026 | 4011.25 | 3792.42 | | 1 May 2026 | 3836.75 | 3811.30 | | 8 May 2026 | 3733.75 | 3830.48 | | 15 May 2026 | 3613.75 | 3841.52 | | 22 May 2026 | 3572.50 | 3825.08 | | 29 May 2026 | 3599.00 | 3789.68 | | 5 Jun 2026 | 3708.00 | 3750.18 | | 12 Jun 2026 | 3734.75 | 3721.70 | | 19 Jun 2026 | 3631.00 | 3744.22 | | 26 Jun 2026 | 3667.50 | 3739.93 | | 3 Jul 2026 | 3778.25 | 3727.70 | | 10 Jul 2026 | 3652.50 | 3686.30 | | 17 Jul 2026 | 3698.75 | 3657.88 | | 24 Jul 2026 | 3676.25 | 3679.22 | | 31 Jul 2026 | 3584.75 | 3703.90 | ## How to read this benchmark **What a high or low reading means.** Distillate demand is heating oil in winter and diesel for trucking, rail and agriculture all year. A reading above the five-year band means the heating and freight economy is consuming more distillate than the season warrants, which draws stocks and supports the distillate crack. The 2022 episode is the reference for what sustained above-band demand does to prices. A below-band reading signals a mild winter or soft freight, letting inventories build. **Why the five-year same-week average as the comparator.** Energy series move with the calendar year. A raw level cannot say if the market is tight or slack. This page ranks each week against the same week in the five full years before it. A July reading is judged against prior Julys, not against the full year. The baseline uses only earlier years. The current year never enters its own baseline. The rule allows one week of tolerance when holidays shift the report week. **How the seasonal lines are built.** For each date, the reference is the same EIA week number (plus or minus one week) in the five full calendar years before it. Each reference year adds one value (the mean of its tolerated observations). The five-year average uses those yearly values. This page plots the average only. The average line starts once a five-year window exists and rolls forward. **Limitations.** The five-year average moves as history rolls forward. Source revisions can move history. Distillate demand is one input to the market balance. Prices also move on the weekly surprise versus expectations, not on the level alone. Treat the chart as context for supply and demand conditions, not investment advice. ## How this benchmark is used **The heating and freight double load.** Distillate carries two demand curves: heating oil in the cold months and diesel behind freight activity year-round. Reading the four-week average against its seasonal band separates the two. A winter reading tests the heating load, a summer reading tests the freight economy. Trucking and home-heating buyers hedge against exactly this stock-to-demand balance. **Same-week seasonal average.** This page uses a same-week rule over five full prior years. It allows one week of tolerance. The current year is excluded. It plots the seasonal average only. Compare the reading to the average line, not to a min or max range. ## Frequently asked questions **What is the current U.S. distillate demand?** As of 31 July 2026, the latest readings are Distillate demand (4-week avg) at 3584.75 Thousand Barrels per Day and Five-year average at 3703.90 Thousand Barrels per Day. The Distillate demand (4-week avg) line is up 1.8% over the past year and below its long-run median of 3772.75 Thousand Barrels per Day. **How often is this benchmark updated?** This benchmark is built on weekly data. The page is refreshed when the source publishes new observations; the freshness block below the chart shows the exact data-through date and when PIER20 last fetched the file. **What data sources does this chart use?** The chart is built from Distillate demand (4-week avg) and Five-year average, sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). **What is the highest and lowest Distillate demand has reached?** The percentile cell ranks the latest reading against the full sample. The 100th percentile is the highest on record. The 0th is the lowest. This page charts the five-year seasonal average only. Read extremes from the full history and the percentile cell. **How is this different from gasoline demand?** Both are product-supplied demand pages, but the drivers differ: gasoline follows the driving calendar, distillate follows heating and freight. They rarely move together. A mild winter weakens distillate while summer driving is normal. The pages isolate each product's own seasonal story. **Why does the five-year average only start five years into the history?** A baseline needs five full prior years of observations. The current year never enters its own baseline. The first five years of a series have no complete reference window. Earlier readings plot without a seasonal reference. ## Methodology - Formula: seasonalAverage(t) = mean of same EIA week (±1 week) in the five complete years before t - Frequency: Weekly - Sources: Distillate demand (4-week avg) (WDIUPUS2) https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=WDIUPUS2&f=W; Five-year average (WDIUPUS2#seasonalAvg) https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=WDIUPUS2&f=W. Data via the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). - Data through: 31 July 2026 - Last refreshed: 11 Aug 2026 Full interactive chart: https://pier20.com/benchmarks/us-distillate-demand Disclaimer: research software output, not investment advice.