Markets · August 23, 2026 · 2 min read

EIA Data Showed U.S. Commercial Crude Oil Stocks Rose 4.405 Million Barrels in the Week Ended August 14

Published August 23, 2026 • Updated August 23, 2026

The Energy Information Administration’s August 19 Weekly Petroleum Status Report data showed U.S. crude-oil ending stocks excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at 428.815 million barrels for the week ended August 14, up 4.405 million barrels from a week earlier.

CONFIRMED FACTS The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report page identifies August 19, 2026 as the release date for data for the week ending August 14, 2026. EIA’s Petroleum Supply and Disposition data API reports U.S. crude-oil ending stocks excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (series WCESTUS1) at 428,815 thousand barrels for the week ended August 14, 2026. The same API query reports 424,410 thousand barrels for the week ended August 7. The difference between those two reported observations is 4,405 thousand barrels, or 4.405 million barrels. The API labels the series as U.S. ending stocks excluding the SPR, identifies the product as crude oil, and reports the unit as MBBL (thousand barrels). ANALYSIS The reported week-over-week increase describes the change in this specific commercial crude-oil inventory series. It does not by itself show why inventories changed, whether supply or demand was the principal driver, or how crude prices responded. Because the series excludes the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, it should not be interpreted as a measure of all U.S. government and commercial crude holdings combined. UNKNOWNS AND LIMITS These weekly observations do not establish causality or forecast gasoline prices, refinery output, oil prices, or broader economic activity. The cited data do not, on their own, separate the contribution of domestic production, imports, refinery inputs, exports, or timing and measurement changes to the inventory movement. EIA may revise historical data; this brief reports the values returned by the cited API query and the release date displayed on the cited report page. UPDATE LOG Reviewed August 23, 2026 using EIA’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report page and EIA’s Petroleum Supply and Disposition API.

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Sources

U.S. Energy Information Administration — Weekly Petroleum Status Report, week ending August 14, 2026 — Primary EIA report page identifying the week-ending date and August 19, 2026 release date.
U.S. Energy Information Administration API — U.S. crude-oil ending stocks excluding SPR, August 7 and August 14, 2026 — Primary EIA data query for series WCESTUS1, including the two weekly observations, units, series definition, and coverage.

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