Crude oil is just one product that CEPA members transport everyday and it might surprise you to learn what’s in a barrel of oil.
A barrel of oil is the equivalent of 159 litres (42 gallons) of liquid. Some of the oil in a barrel becomes products that take us to where we want to go, like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. But there’s way more than transportation fuel coming out of every barrel of oil. You might be surprised to learn that crude oil is used to make many everyday products, such as lipstick, guitar strings, toothbrushes, toothpaste, phones, sports clothing, dust pans, crayons, hand cream, and hundreds more.
Curious about what else comes out of a barrel of oil? Let’s explore.
Crude oil comes from plant or animal fossils that have been compressed and slowly heated over millions of years. Canada has the world’s third largest proven oil reserves, after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Crude oil deposits are found all over the world, but its characteristics, including colour, are determined by the location from where the crude oil is extracted. Although there are several grades and varieties of crude oil, the industry uses three important characteristics for classification:
Crude oil is measured by the barrel (BBL) and volumes are stated as ‘barrels per day’, often abbreviated as BBL/D or BPD.
Plus, a whole host of other everyday products, including…
Canadians rely on crude oil as a vital part of everyday life. In Canada, those oil products are primarily transported by transmission pipelines, and more recently by rail or truck due to a shortage of pipeline space. In 2018, CEPA’s members safely delivered 1.6 billion barrels of crude oil produced in Canada. But that’s not all. With a target of zero incidents, our members are relentless in their quest to improve the industry’s safety record. And oil producers are continuously focused on producing products in a manner that respects and protects the environment and the communities they touch.
Learn more about everyday products that are made from crude oil.