🧊 gal to bbl — US Gallon to Oil Barrel Converter

Convert volume units — liters, gallons, cups, milliliters, cubic meters, barrels and more.

1 unit =
From
To
Formula 1 gal = 0.023809557 bbl
UnitNameValue
0.001 gal2.38096e-05 bbl
0.01 gal0.000238096 bbl
0.1 gal0.00238096 bbl
1 gal0.0238096 bbl
5 gal0.119048 bbl
10 gal0.238096 bbl
50 gal1.19048 bbl
100 gal2.38096 bbl
1000 gal23.8096 bbl
Last updated: March 2026

US Gallon to Oil Barrel Conversion Table

Common us gallon values converted to oil barrel — factor: 1 gal = 0.02381 bbl

US Gallon (gal)Oil Barrel (bbl)Context
0.0078 gal0.0001857 bblTablespoon
0.031 gal0.0007381 bblQuarter cup
0.0625 gal0.001488 bblCup
0.125 gal0.002976 bblPint
0.25 gal0.005952 bblQuart
0.5 gal0.0119 bblHalf gallon
1 gal0.02381 bblGallon jug
2 gal0.04762 bblTwo gallons
5 gal0.119 bblJerrycan
10 gal0.2381 bbl10-gallon drum
20 gal0.4762 bbl20-gallon tank
42 gal1 bblOil barrel
55 gal1.31 bblDrum barrel
100 gal2.381 bblLarge drum
1,000 gal23.81 bblTank

About US Gallon to Oil Barrel Conversion

Converting us gallon to oil barrel comes up frequently in cooking, chemistry, medicine, and engineering. A recipe written in metric units may need to be adapted for a kitchen using oil barrel, or a laboratory protocol may specify volumes in us gallon that need to be measured with equipment calibrated in oil barrel.

In everyday use, knowing that 5 gal = 0.119 bbl and 10 gal = 0.2381 bbl covers most common situations. For bulk calculations, 100 gal = 2.381 bbl is a useful anchor. The reverse conversion — oil barrel back to us gallon — uses the factor 42, so 1 bbl = 42 gal.

All conversions use the internationally recognized factor of exactly 1 gal = 0.02381 bbl. Calculations are performed in IEEE 754 double-precision floating point, giving accuracy to at least 8 significant figures — more than sufficient for any practical application.

Quick Answer

Formula: Oil Barrel = US Gallon × 0.023809557

Multiply any us gallon value by 0.023809557 to get oil barrel. One us gallon equals 0.023809557 bbl.

Reverse: US Gallon = Oil Barrel × 41.999942

Worked Examples

One oil barrel
42 gal × 0.023809557 = 1.0000014 bbl
42 US gallons = exactly 1 oil barrel.
One US gallon
1 gal × 0.023809557 = 0.023809557 bbl
1 US gallon = 0.02381 barrels.
5 US gallons
5 gal × 0.023809557 = 0.11904778 bbl
5 gallons = 0.1190 barrels.
Half barrel
21 gal × 0.023809557 = 0.50000069 bbl
21 gallons = 0.5 barrels.

Mental Math Tricks

÷ 42 exactly

US gallons ÷ 42 = barrels. Exact.

Key anchor

21 gal = 0.5 bbl, 42 gal = 1 bbl.

Reverse

Barrels × 42 = US gallons.

Who Uses This Conversion?

Gas Station Manager

Prices fuel in USD per gallon and tracks daily sales volume in thousands of gallons.

Farmer

Calculates pesticide and fertilizer application rates in gallons per acre.

Pool Service Tech

Measures pool volume in gallons to calculate chlorine and pH chemical dosages.

Auto Mechanic

Purchases engine oil, transmission fluid, and coolant in quart and gallon containers.

Paint Contractor

Estimates coverage (one US gallon covers about 350 sq ft) and quotes by the gallon.

Plumber

Specifies water heater tank capacity (40, 50, 80 gallons) for residential systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

About US Gallon and Oil Barrel

US Gallon (gal)

The US liquid gallon is defined as exactly 231 cubic inches, or 3.785411784 liters. It traces its origins to the Queen Anne wine gallon of 1707, which American colonies adopted.

The US gallon differs from the UK Imperial gallon by about 16.5%. This matters for fuel economy: a US MPG figure is lower than the equivalent UK MPG for the same car.

Interesting fact: The United States, Liberia, and Myanmar are the only countries using the US gallon as a primary everyday volume unit.

Oil Barrel (bbl)

The US oil barrel (bbl) is defined as exactly 42 US gallons, equal to 158.987 liters. The 42-gallon standard was adopted by the Pennsylvania oil industry in 1866, based on the wine tierce barrel.

Oil barrels are the global benchmark for crude oil pricing: NYMEX WTI and ICE Brent futures are quoted in USD per barrel. OPEC quotas and national reserves are all expressed in barrels per day.

Interesting fact: No physical barrels are used to ship crude oil today. The unit is purely a pricing and accounting convention; tankers carry millions of barrels in sealed tanks.