As of 2026-08-18, Brent trades at $91.08 and WTI at $84.89 — a $6.19 Brent premium. The 1-year average spread is $4.71. Both are light, sweet crudes; the gap is about geography and logistics, not quality. Live prices: WTI · Brent.
| WTI | Brent | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | West Texas Intermediate | Brent (North Sea blend) |
| Exchange · ticker | NYMEX · CL | ICE · BZ |
| Delivery | Pipeline, Cushing, Oklahoma | Waterborne, North Sea loading |
| Prices | US domestic crude | ~2/3 of world seaborne crude |
| API gravity | ≈40° (lighter) | ≈38° |
| Sulfur | ≈0.24% (sweeter) | ≈0.40% |
| Typical premium | — | A few $/bbl above WTI |
The live Brent–WTI spread updates on the dashboard and prices page; annual histories: WTI · Brent.
As of the 2026-08-18 close, Brent trades at $91.08 and WTI at $84.89 — a spread of $6.19 per barrel (Brent premium). The spread has averaged $4.71 over the past year.
Brent loads directly onto tankers in the North Sea and can sail to any market, so it prices global seaborne demand. WTI is landlocked at Cushing, Oklahoma and must pay pipeline tolls to reach export docks on the Gulf Coast. That transport cost — typically a few dollars — plus regional supply-demand differences keeps Brent above WTI most of the time.
Both. Roughly two-thirds of the world's internationally traded crude prices off Brent, so global headlines often quote it; US pipelines, refiners and producers settle on WTI. US pump prices track Brent-linked coastal product markets more closely than most people assume.
Both are light, sweet crudes — easy to refine into gasoline and diesel. WTI is slightly lighter and sweeter (≈40° API, 0.24% sulfur) than Brent (≈38° API, 0.4% sulfur). The quality gap is minor; the price gap is mostly about geography and logistics, not chemistry.