Archive · 21 Sep 2026
U.S. Diesel Prices Reach Record $6.28 Amid Supply Crunch
Diesel is a fuel used by trucks, farms, trains, ships and some heating systems.
In the United States, its average price reached a record $6.28 per gallon on Sept.
14, 2026.
There is not enough diesel available because some refineries closed or changed what they produce.
Russia also stopped exporting diesel, while fighting disrupted supplies from the Middle East.
U.S. refineries are working almost as hard as they can, but their fuel supplies are still shrinking.
Companies that make diesel are earning very large profits because the fuel is scarce.
Trucking and farming are becoming more expensive, and those costs can eventually raise prices for many products.
Heating oil prices are also expected to be higher for people in the northeastern United States.
The U.S. national average diesel price reached a record $6.28 per gallon on Sept. 14, 2026.
Refinery capacity losses, Russia’s export ban and Middle East disruptions have tightened global diesel supplies.
U.S. refineries operated at nearly 98% capacity, yet late-August distillate inventories fell to about 103 million barrels.
Diesel prices have increased more than 78% since January 2026, while refinery profit margins exceeded $100 per barrel.
Higher fuel costs are raising expenses for trucking, farming, construction and heating, with crop-planting costs up $1.4 billion year over year.
- Who
- U.S. consumers, truckers, farmers, refiners and other fuel users are affected; Russia, Middle Eastern refiners and U.S. policymakers are involved.
- What
- The U.S. national average diesel price reached a record $6.28 per gallon amid a severe supply crunch.
- When
- The record price was reported on Sept. 14, 2026; John Thune proposed a diesel-export ban on Sept. 15, 2026.
- Where
- The price surge is centered in the United States but reflects disruptions affecting global markets, including the Strait of Hormuz and Russia.
- Why
- Supplies are constrained by reduced refining capacity, Russia’s export ban, Middle East war-related disruptions, strong demand and falling inventories.
- Record price
- $6.28 per gallon, the U.S. national average on Sept. 14, 2026
- Year-over-year increase
- Diesel prices were up 67% from the September 2025 monthly average of $3.75 per gallon.
- January comparison
- The January 2026 average was $3.52 per gallon, before the late-February attacks on Iran.
- Refinery utilization
- U.S. refineries operated at nearly 98% of maximum capacity in late August 2026.
- Distillate inventories
- Inventories fell to about 103 million barrels in late August, the lowest level for that calendar point since 1951.
- Russia’s export ban
- Russia banned diesel exports on July 9, 2026, and extended the ban through the end of 2026.
- Agricultural impact
- Higher diesel prices added more than $1.4 billion to the cost of planting major U.S. crops compared with 2025.