Strategic Petroleum Reserve: how depleted
Million barrels — capacity, current level, and the operational floor.
About this data
The SPR was drawn down hard during the 2026 oil shock, falling to roughly 340 million barrels by mid-June — its lowest since 1983 — against a design capacity near 727 million. It must stay at least 20% full (~143 mb) to remain operable, so there is still a cushion, but the reserve is a fraction of its build.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve: how depleted
Million barrels. The SPR fell to its lowest level since 1983 amid 2026 releases.
Data table
| mb | label | series | source_ref | value_basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 727 | Design capacity | spr_level | doe-spr | DOE: SPR design storage capacity ~727 million barrels |
| 340.3 | Level, Jun 12 2026 | spr_level | eia-spr-weekly | EIA weekly: SPR held ~340.3 mb week ending Jun 12 2026 — lowest since 1983 (CNN) |
| 143 | 20% operational floor | spr_level | cnn-spr | SPR must stay at least 20% full to remain operational (~143 mb) |
Methodology & sources
Last updated: Aug 5, 2026Methodology
A consolidated US oil & gas data hub. Source-backed values are seeded for all seven charts: the 2026 Brent crude journey through the Strait of Hormuz shock, Henry Hub natural gas annual averages, US crude oil production, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve drawdown, the Baker Hughes rig count, and national pump prices for gasoline and diesel. Every numeric point carries a sources[].ref and a value_basis. Crude and gas prices and production are from the EIA; the rig count is Baker Hughes; the SPR level is EIA weekly stocks with context from DOE and CNN; pump prices are the AAA national average (gasoline) and EIA on-highway price / STEO forecasts (diesel). CAVEAT: the 2026 Henry Hub value ($3.34) and the diesel-related forecasts are EIA projections, labeled as forecasts. The crude chart shows Brent milestone points (not every month); the Jun point also carries the WTI spot ($77.54, Jun 22 2026). The gasoline point (Jun 18 2026) and diesel point (mid-May 2026) carry different dates, each labeled, as the latest cited value per fuel. Re-verified 2026-06-22.
Sources
Comparisons are informative, not definitive. See each source for definitions and limits.