All crude is not equal: grades differ by density (°API) and sulfur, and the market prices those differences every day. The table below pairs the classification with live benchmark prices — you can see the quality ladder directly in the spreads, from light sweet WTI down to heavy sour Western Canadian Select.
| Grade | API | Sulfur | Class | $/bbl | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WTI Crude | ≈40° | 0.24% | Light sweet | $84.85 | US benchmark, Cushing delivery |
| Brent Crude | ≈38° | 0.40% | Light sweet | $91.01 | International benchmark, North Sea |
| Bonny Light | ≈35° | 0.14% | Light sweet | $90.44 | Nigeria — prized gasoline yield |
| Arab Light | ≈33° | 1.8% | Medium sour | $81.40 | Saudi flagship export grade |
| Dubai | ≈31° | 2.0% | Medium sour | $85.31 | Benchmark for Asian imports |
| Urals | ≈31° | 1.5% | Medium sour | $85.10 | Russian export blend (sanctions discount) |
| Mars (US Gulf) | ≈30° | 1.9% | Medium sour | $91.97 | US offshore sour benchmark |
| Western Canadian Select | ≈20° | 3.5% | Heavy sour | $70.05 | Oil-sands blend — deepest discount |
Prices from the hourly benchmarks feed (API/sulfur figures are typical assay values). All 100+ grades: global benchmarks. Concepts: glossary · what a barrel yields · convert API gravity on tools.
Crudes are classified on two axes: density (light vs heavy, measured in °API — higher is lighter) and sulfur (sweet under ~0.5%, sour above). Light sweet crude (WTI, Brent, Bonny Light) is the most valuable because it yields the most gasoline and diesel with the least processing; heavy sour grades (WCS, Maya) trade at discounts and need complex refineries.
Quality and location. A heavy sour barrel yields less gasoline and costs more to refine, so it prices below light sweet grades; landlocked crudes price below waterborne ones by the cost of getting to market. The spreads are visible live in the table above — for instance Western Canadian Select versus WTI, or Urals versus Brent (a sanctions discount as well as a quality one).
Among widely traded grades, the lightest sweetest crudes include Malaysian Tapis, Nigerian Bonny Light and Algerian Saharan Blend — all light, very low sulfur, and priced at premiums to Brent historically. "Best" ultimately depends on the refinery: a plant built for heavy sour Maya cannot simply switch to Tapis economically.
Yes — about 40° API and 0.24% sulfur, making WTI one of the highest-quality major benchmarks (slightly lighter and sweeter than Brent). That quality is why "light sweet crude" and "WTI" are near-synonyms in US market reporting.