| Series | First | Latest | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refinery crude inputs | 12833.00 | 17381.00 | 10300.00 | 18243.00 |
| Five-year average | 13448.33 | 16896.87 | 12987.78 | 17626.27 |
seasonalAverage(t) = mean of same EIA week (±1 week) in the five complete years before tWeekly U.S. gross inputs of crude oil into refineries (EIA series WGIRIUS2), plotted against the five-year seasonal average only for the same calendar week. The reference uses the same EIA week number (plus or minus one week) in the five full calendar years before each observation. The current year never enters its own baseline. Each reference year contributes the mean of its tolerated observations. The average line starts once a five-year window exists.
As of 31 July 2026, the latest readings are Refinery crude inputs at 17381.00 Thousand Barrels per Day and Five-year average at 16896.87 Thousand Barrels per Day. The Refinery crude inputs line is down 0.8% over the past year and above its long-run median of 15381.00 Thousand Barrels per Day.
Refinery crude inputs are the demand side of the crude market: every barrel of crude consumed is a barrel refineries processed. A reading above the seasonal band means refiners are running hard. Strong product demand or widening crack margins pulling crude into the system, a bullish crude-demand signal. A reading below the band means maintenance, outages or weak margins have idled capacity, cutting crude demand even when production is steady.
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.
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.
The five-year average moves as history rolls forward. Source revisions can move history. Refinery crude inputs 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.
Refineries schedule turnaround season around the demand cycle. Spring and autumn. So the seasonal band here IS the maintenance calendar. A week where inputs sit far below the band outside those windows flags an unscheduled outage, which is how the market first learns of refinery problems before official announcements.
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.
As of 31 July 2026, the latest readings are Refinery crude inputs at 17381.00 Thousand Barrels per Day and Five-year average at 16896.87 Thousand Barrels per Day. The Refinery crude inputs line is down 0.8% over the past year and above its long-run median of 15381.00 Thousand Barrels per Day.
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.
The chart is built from Refinery crude inputs and Five-year average, sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
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.
Inputs measure the volume of crude processed; utilization measures the percentage of operable capacity used. Utilization strips out capacity changes. When the industry retires or expands refining capacity, inputs and utilization diverge. The utilization page answers 'how hard is the fleet running'; this page answers 'how much crude is the fleet eating'.
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.
One tested idea, through the evidence stack. No migration of any kind.