Brent Crude Price Today: Live Chart & Price History

Brent is the benchmark most of the world uses to price oil. It is named for a North Sea field, and today the Brent price is based on crude from several North Sea fields. Oil produced in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East is often priced as a premium or discount to it. In the United States, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is the other major benchmark.

A barrel holds 42 U.S. gallons, and the price here is quoted in dollars per barrel. This page shows weekly and monthly spot averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and a recent futures quote. It is a reference page with no live trading data, and nothing here is investment advice.

The EIA publishes a daily Brent spot price and averages it by week and by month. The weekly rows above cover the stretch from late August into early October 2026, which includes a sharp rise through mid-September. The week of Sep 18 is the highest of the weekly rows shown, and the later weeks stayed well above the late-August level.

The monthly averages give a longer view.

Monthly figures smooth out single-week jumps. Comparing April, June, and September shows that the price has moved a lot within a few months, which is one reason a single number never tells the whole story.

When you search for the Brent crude price live, you may see two different numbers. They measure different things.

• Spot price: The EIA reports Dated Brent, which reflects the price of physical North Sea cargoes for near-term loading. The weekly and monthly rows on this page are spot prices.
• Futures price: The quote you see on most financial sites is for a futures contract, an agreement to buy or sell oil for delivery in a later month. The front-month contract is the one closest to expiry.

The futures row above was quoted on Oct 12, 2026, by Trading Economics. It is not the same date as the latest weekly spot figure, so the two are not a like-for-like comparison.

Why the two prices can differ

Even on the same day, spot and futures prices are rarely identical. Several things may explain the gap:

• Futures are for a later delivery month, so the market's view of future supply and demand is built in.
• Spot assessments reflect physical cargo timing, shipping, and quality differences.
• When physical oil is scarce in the short term, the spot price may rise above the futures price. When supply is ample, it may fall below.
• The spot price is a daily assessment, and futures trade continuously, so they can be captured at different moments.

Check which one a site is quoting before you compare numbers.

Oil is traded globally, so its price responds to several forces at once:

• Supply decisions: Output from major producers, including the OPEC+ group, and U.S. production levels shape how much oil is available.
• Demand: Economic growth, travel, and industrial activity raise or lower oil use.
• Inventories: Low stockpiles tend to support higher prices, while large stocks weigh on them.
• Disruptions: Conflict, sanctions, storms, and shipping problems can interrupt supply or raise the cost of moving it.
• The U.S. dollar: Oil is priced in dollars, so a stronger dollar can make it more expensive for buyers using other currencies.

The weekly history above shows how quickly these forces can combine. A rise of tens of dollars within a few weeks is large by historical standards, though the table does not say what caused it.

Crude oil is the largest cost in gasoline and diesel, so a change in the Brent price generally shows up at the pump, though not instantly. The delay can run from days to weeks, and refining costs, taxes, and regional supply also affect the final price. Crude prices also feed into jet fuel, heating oil, and the cost of shipping goods.

For the retail side, see the EIA's weekly fuel updates. The EIA also publishes the Short-Term Energy Outlook, which gives its own projections each month. Projections are assumptions about the future, not guarantees, and this page does not rely on them.

Brent and WTI usually trade at different prices, and the gap changes over time. Brent is seaborne crude, which makes it easy to ship around the world. WTI is delivered inland at Cushing, Oklahoma. Both are light, low-sulfur crudes, but they are produced in different places and priced at different points in the supply chain.

For a minute-by-minute quote, use a financial data provider or a commodity exchange site. For official daily and weekly spot data, use the EIA's petroleum spot prices page. Always note whether a figure is a spot or a futures price, the date, and the unit.