Uses of Oil Energy - How We Use Petroleum Every Day

Quick Look

Oil touches almost every part of modern life. It fuels our cars, heats our homes, and provides the raw materials for thousands of products. From the plastic in your phone to the asphalt on the road, oil is everywhere. Let us look at how we use this remarkable resource every single day.

Transportation

Transportation is the biggest user of oil by far. About 66% of all petroleum goes to moving people and goods.

Gasoline powers most cars and motorcycles. A typical car burns through about 500 gallons of gasoline per year. That adds up fast. The United States alone uses about 380 million gallons of gasoline every single day.

Diesel is the fuel of choice for trucks, buses, trains, and heavy equipment. Diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines. They get better fuel economy and last longer. That is why almost all semi-trucks run on diesel.

Jet fuel is a special type of kerosene that powers airplanes. A Boeing 747 burns about 5 gallons of fuel per mile. A long flight from New York to Los Angeles uses about 20,000 gallons. There is no practical alternative to jet fuel for commercial aviation right now.

Bunker fuel powers cargo ships and cruise liners. It is the cheapest and heaviest fuel made from oil. The largest container ships can burn over 200 tons of bunker fuel per day. That is over 60,000 gallons.

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is used in some vehicles and for cooking. It burns cleaner than gasoline. Many forklifts and fleet vehicles use LPG.

Home and Personal Products

Oil is hidden in many things you use at home. You might not even know it.

Heating oil warms millions of homes in cold regions. About 5 million US homes use heating oil. Most are in the Northeast. A typical home uses about 800 gallons per winter.

Candles are often made from paraffin wax. Paraffin comes from petroleum. The candles on your birthday cake likely started as crude oil.

Cosmetics contain many oil-derived ingredients. Mineral oil, petrolatum, and paraffin are common in lotions, lip balms, and makeup.

Cleaning products rely on petrochemicals. Surfactants in dish soap and laundry detergent break down grease. These chemicals are made from oil.

Furniture and floors are often coated with oil-based varnishes and waxes. That shiny finish on a wooden table probably contains petroleum products.

Industrial Uses

Oil is essential for industry. It provides both energy and raw materials.

Plastics are the most visible use. Nearly all plastic is made from oil. That includes packaging, toys, electronics, car parts, and medical devices. Global plastic production is about 400 million tons per year, and it is growing.

Fertilizers use natural gas and oil as feedstocks. Modern farming depends on synthetic fertilizers to grow enough food. Without oil, we could not feed 8 billion people.

Paints and coatings use petroleum-based solvents and binders. Even water-based paints often contain petrochemicals. The pigment is held together by acrylic polymers made from oil.

Synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic are made from oil. About 60% of clothing now contains synthetic fibers. That fleece jacket and those athletic shorts likely came from petroleum.

Medicine relies on petrochemicals. Many drugs start with chemical building blocks from oil. Aspirin, antihistamines, and antiseptics all contain petroleum-derived ingredients.

Roads are paved with asphalt. Asphalt is the heaviest residue left after refining crude oil. About 85% of the world’s roads are surfaced with asphalt.

Lubricants keep machines running smoothly. Engine oil, grease, and hydraulic fluids are all made from oil. Without them, metal parts would grind together and seize up.

For Younger Learners

Oil is like a magic ingredient that hides in tons of things you use. Your toothbrush? Made from oil. Your water bottle? Made from oil. The keys on your computer? Made from oil.

Next time you ride in a car, the fuel in the tank came from oil. The seat belts and airbags contain oil-based materials. Even the paint on the car has oil in it.

Here is a fun challenge. Walk around your house and see how many things you can find that come from oil. You will be surprised at the answer.

For Older Learners

The versatility of oil is both a strength and a problem. On one hand, it gives us amazing products. On the other hand, we have become completely dependent on a non-renewable resource.

About 90% of the oil we use goes to energy. The rest goes to materials. But that 10% for materials is crucial. Plastics, fertilizers, and medicines are hard to replace.

The chemical industry uses oil not as fuel but as a feedstock. A feedstock is a raw material that gets turned into something else. When we make plastic, the oil becomes part of the product. It is not burned. That carbon is still locked up.

This matters for climate change. Even if we replace oil for energy, we will still need oil for materials. The question is how much. Some plastics can be made from plants. But plant-based plastics currently account for less than 1% of total plastic production.

Teacher Corner

Discussion questions:

• How would your morning change if nothing made from oil existed?
• Why do you think we use oil for transportation instead of something else?
• Can you find any products in your classroom that are NOT made from oil?
• What would happen if plastic stopped being made tomorrow?

Activity: Have students bring in an item from home and research whether it contains petroleum. Make a class chart showing the percentage of items that contain oil-derived materials.

Vocabulary words:

• Petrochemical: a chemical made from petroleum or natural gas.
• Feedstock: a raw material used to make other products.
• Synthetic: man-made, not natural.
• Surfactant: a chemical that helps water mix with oil and grease.
• Polymer: a long chain of molecules used to make plastic.

Fun Facts

• The average smartphone contains over 60 different elements and materials. Many of them, including the plastic casing, come from oil.
• One barrel of oil can produce enough plastic to make about 1,200 grocery bags.
• The medical industry uses oil to make everything from syringes to heart valves.
• Chewing gum used to come from tree sap. Now most gum is made from petroleum-based polymers.
• Lipstick contains oil-derived ingredients like mineral oil and wax.
• The first synthetic fiber, nylon, was invented in 1935. It was used to make women’s stockings and toothbrush bristles.
• About 60% of modern fabrics contain synthetic fibers made from oil.
• The asphalt on a typical mile of highway uses about 5,000 barrels of oil.
• Solar panels use petroleum-based materials in their protective backings and sealants.

References

1. U.S. Department of Energy — Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica — Energy
3. Wikipedia — Energy
4. U.S. Energy Information Administration — Energy Kids
5. NASA — Earth Observatory: Energy

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Last updated: June 15, 2026

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