Convert Barrel to UK Gallon (bbl → gal (UK))

Converting barrels to UK gallons is straightforward: multiply by the conversion factor. Follow these three steps to do it by hand or in your head.

1. 1
   Take your value in barrels

   Start with the number of barrels (bbl) you want to convert.
2. 2
   Multiply by 34.972316

   The conversion factor from bbl to gal (UK) is 34.972316. Multiply your value by this number.
3. 3
   Read the result in UK gallons

   The result is your value in UK gallons (gal (UK)).

Multiply the value in barrels by 34.972316. For the reverse direction, multiply by 0.028594.

• ✓1 oil barrel = 42 US gallons = 158.987 L exactly.
• ✓Barrel prices quoted in USD — watch currency impact on non-US economies.
• ✓Different industries (beer, dry goods) use different barrel sizes — oil barrel is a specific unit.

• ✗Using beer barrel (163.7 L) or dry barrel (115.6 L) in oil contexts.
• ✗Confusing barrel of oil with barrel of beer — different volumes.
• ✗Assuming barrels are standard worldwide — only oil industry uses the 42 gallon version globally.

What is the Barrel?

The oil barrel equals exactly 42 US gallons (158.987 liters) and is the global benchmark unit for crude oil pricing and trading. The 42-gallon size dates to the 1860s Pennsylvania oil boom, when oil was shipped in repurposed wooden barrels of various sizes; the standard settled at 42 gallons as a practical industry compromise. Today, the oil barrel is virtually synonymous with crude oil — Brent crude and WTI prices are quoted per barrel ($/bbl), OPEC tracks production in barrels per day, and proven reserves are listed in billions of barrels. Despite metrication, the barrel persists in petroleum trading and journalism worldwide. It relates to the US gallon (1 bbl = 42 US gal), the cubic meter (1 bbl ≈ 0.159 m³), and the liter (1 bbl ≈ 159 L). Note that beer and wine barrels have different volumes.

• Crude oil international pricing (Brent, WTI)
• Petroleum product reporting (OPEC, EIA)
• Energy-sector financial reporting

What is the UK Gallon?

The UK imperial gallon equals exactly 4.54609 liters and is approximately 20% larger than the US gallon. Established by the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824 to standardize earlier ale and corn gallons, the imperial gallon was designed so that 10 pounds of pure water at 62°F occupied exactly 1 gallon. Although the United Kingdom has officially adopted the liter for fuel sales since 1995, the imperial gallon persists in everyday speech ('miles per gallon' for car fuel economy) and remains the standard unit in some Caribbean and Pacific Commonwealth countries. The imperial gallon relates to the US gallon (1 imp gal ≈ 1.201 US gal), the imperial quart (4 imp qt = 1 imp gal), the imperial pint (8 imp pt = 1 imp gal — the famous British pint of beer), and the liter (1 imp gal ≈ 4.546 L).

• UK fuel economy in miles per gallon (UK mpg)
• Older British industrial and brewing contexts
• Commonwealth countries that retain imperial measures