Interactive: Platts Periodic Table of Oil

 

Click here to access the interactive Platts Periodic Table of Oil

Crude quality has never mattered more. As geopolitical tensions sharpen the focus on energy security, the war between the US and Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz have exposed a shortage that the market cannot easily fix: a scarcity of medium and heavy sour barrels precisely suited to the world's most complex refineries.

The disruption at Hormuz, a chokepoint that once carried some 20 million b/d of oil and products, has triggered less a crisis of volume than one of quality.

The Middle East remains the primary source of medium and heavy sour grades, which are precisely the barrels hit hardest by the conflict, as repeated closures of Hormuz and strikes on regional infrastructure have curtailed supply.

Meanwhile, the crude flowing in to fill the gap including strategic reserve releases and surging US WTI Midland exports has been overwhelmingly light and sweet, doing little to resolve the underlying mismatch.

Hundreds of crude varieties are produced worldwide, from light-sour Murban in the UAE to Guyana's medium-sweet Liza and Mexico's heavy-sour Maya. This interactive chart brings together the essential indicators behind every crude grade: region of origin, pricing, trade volumes, sulfur content, viscosity, carbon intensity, trade flows and benchmark data, all in one place. 

As war and geopolitical shocks continue to redraw global crude flows, understanding these quality differences has become essential to gauging energy security risks in an increasingly volatile oil market.

The latest update as of September 2026 includes:

* Updated crude assay and output data for 150 of the world's most traded crude grades

* Refreshed Platts benchmarks and pricing data

* Additional carbon intensity data, with a focus on upstream emissions

* New design and improved technology, including click-through options and reset buttons

Click here to access the interactive Platts Periodic Table of Oil