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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchRefiners compare heavy crude grades by matching current assays on sulfur content, API gravity and distillation-cut yields, then checking whether the refinery can process the resulting sulfur and heavy fractions. Sulfur and API gravity are useful screening measures, but neither predicts a grade’s final gasoline or diesel output: refinery configuration and operating conditions determine how much of the feed can be upgraded.
Start with a like-for-like crude assay
A crude assay describes the physical and chemical properties of a sample. Its distillation data show the fractions recoverable at specified boiling ranges; those are properties of the feed, not a forecast of finished refinery products. Distillation separates fractions, while processes such as cracking, coking and hydrotreating can change what the refinery ultimately produces. The U.S. Energy Information Administration explains that simple distillation of denser, heavier crude produces lower-value products. EIA: Refining crude oil—inputs and outputs.
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Before comparing numbers, confirm that both assays use the same units, basis and distillation cut points. A yield reported as volume percent is not directly interchangeable with one reported as weight percent. Likewise, two figures called “diesel yield” are not comparable unless their cut ranges match. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Crude Oil Assay Manual provides assay reference material.
Compare the properties that shape refinery fit
Sulfur content
Record total sulfur in weight percent and note whether the number comes from a measured cargo assay or a dated published specification. Higher sulfur can increase the desulfurization burden and affect the economics of processing a grade. A published typical value is useful for screening, but it is not a substitute for the assay of the crude being considered.
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API gravity
API gravity is a first-pass density indicator: lower API generally corresponds to heavier material and more residue. It does not reveal the full boiling distribution, so it cannot replace a distillation-cut table. Compare values on a consistent reference convention when available.
Distillation fractions and residue
Compare naphtha, kerosene, diesel-range material, vacuum gas oil and atmospheric or vacuum residue at matching cut points and on the same volume or weight basis. Residue share helps indicate how much bottom-of-the-barrel material may need to be sold as residual product or upgraded. A larger vacuum gas oil fraction can be valuable to a refinery with suitable conversion capacity, but it does not automatically mean more finished diesel.
The EIA’s 2019 analysis illustrates the relationship between heavier grades and residue using historical assay inputs: WTI and Brent atmospheric residue were 33.3% and 34.2%, Mars was about 47%, and Maya was 61.2%. These are historical comparisons—not current guaranteed yields for those grades or a matched current ranking. See the EIA paper, “Figure 2.1: Heavy crude oils typically contain greater volumes of residual”.
Refinery capability and commercial fit
Interpret the assay in light of the site’s vacuum distillation, cracking, coking and desulfurization capacity, including available capacity and operating constraints. A complex refinery may upgrade material that a simpler refinery would leave as lower-value residual product. Also consider delivered cost, transport, blending limits, metals, acidity and other contaminants in the actual assay, alongside the refinery’s product demand. A favorable assay alone does not identify the most profitable feed.
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Published sulfur and API examples are screening values, not yield rankings
| Grade or data set | Published figure | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Maya crude | 21.0–22.0° API; 3.4% sulfur by weight | PEMEX published grade specifications, on a page modified May 26, 2026. PEMEX identifies Maya as feedstock for fossil fuels; use a current cargo assay for a purchase decision. PEMEX: Maya crude oil. |
| Maya crude | 21.5° API; 3.4% sulfur | S&P Global Platts’ April 2026 guide value; crude specifications can vary over time. S&P Global Platts: Americas Crude Oil, April 2026. |
| Western Canadian Select (Cushing/Nederland) | 21.8° API; 3.63% sulfur | S&P Global Platts’ April 2026 guide value; not a guarantee of a particular cargo’s assay. S&P Global Platts: Americas Crude Oil, April 2026. |
These figures provide dated sulfur and density context, not comparable distillation-cut yields. The available published examples do not establish a matched, current yield table across a broad slate of heavy grades, so sulfur or API alone cannot support a defensible yield ranking.
Keep national refinery averages separate from grade assays
U.S. refinery statistics offer context about the refining system, not predictions for a named crude. EIA data for 2023 show an average processing gain of about 6.3%, or around 45 gallons of refined product from a 42-gallon crude barrel. The gain reflects volume expansion as lower-density products are made; it is not a grade-specific assay yield. EIA’s preliminary March 2024 figures for U.S. output per 42-gallon barrel of crude input in 2023 were 19.57 gallons of finished motor gasoline, 12.47 gallons of distillate fuel oil, 4.41 gallons of kerosene-type jet fuel, 2.06 gallons of petroleum coke and 0.71 gallons of residual fuel oil. These are national refinery averages, not the output from a particular heavy grade. EIA: Refining crude oil—inputs and outputs.
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For another system-level reference, the EIA reported a weighted-average sulfur content of 1.24% and API gravity of 33.71° for U.S. refinery crude inputs in July 2026, released September 30, 2026. Those figures describe aggregate U.S. inputs, not a heavy-grade benchmark or an individual refinery’s crude slate. EIA: U.S. Refinery Crude Oil Input Qualities.
A practical comparison checklist
- Use the current assay for the specific grade or cargo under consideration; label dated published specifications as such.
- Record total sulfur in weight percent and API gravity, including the assay date and reference convention where available.
- Compare cut yields only with matching boiling cut points and the same volume or weight basis.
- Check residue and vacuum gas oil against the refinery’s conversion capacity, utilization and operating limits.
- Assess desulfurization capacity and the delivered economics, blending limits, contaminants and product slate alongside the assay.
The result is a refinery-specific feed comparison, not a universal ranking of heavy crude grades by “best yield.”
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