U.S. petroleum exports reached a record 13.6 million barrels a day in April, up 15% from the previous record set in March, as disruptions to crude and product flows through the Strait of Hormuz pushed global buyers toward U.S. barrels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported.
Crude oil made up the largest share of the total, averaging 5.6 million b/d, 21% above the prior record set in December 2023. Propane exports topped 2 million b/d for the first time in monthly EIA data, the second-largest category. Distillate fuel oil exports rose to 1.6 million b/d, the most since July 2017, and ranked third.
Finished products highest since December 2024
Exports of finished petroleum products, a category made up mostly of distillate, motor gasoline, jet fuel and petroleum coke, climbed to their highest level since December 2024, even though gasoline exports stayed close to average. Jet fuel, unfinished oils and naphtha each set records in March and held near those levels in April.
EIA tied the jump directly to the Hormuz disruptions. Its weekly estimates show crude oil, distillate fuel, jet fuel and propane exports stayed above their 2021-2025 seasonal highs through May and June, indicating the export pace held past April.
