Mostly from itself — and then from Canada. The US imported 7.3 Mb/d of crude in the latest EIA week and exported 3.1 Mb/d. The world's largest producer still imports heavy crude because its refineries were built for it, while exporting surplus light shale oil. Here's the two-way flow explained.
| Flow | Mb/d | Week ending |
|---|---|---|
| Crude oil imports | 7.3 | 2026-08-07 |
| Crude oil exports | 3.1 | 2026-08-07 |
| Net crude imports | 4.2 | refined products roughly offset this |
| Source | Share | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | ≈60% | Heavy oil-sands crude by pipeline — ideal feedstock for complex Midwest/Gulf refineries |
| Mexico | ≈7% | Heavy sour Maya to Gulf Coast refineries |
| Saudi Arabia | ≈5% | Partly supplying the Aramco-owned Motiva refinery |
| Colombia, Brazil, others | ≈28% | A rotating cast of mostly medium/heavy grades |
Shares are recent-year approximations from EIA import data. Related: Canada\'s oil · US production · why refineries need heavy crude · weekly flows on fundamentals.
Quality mismatch. US shale produces light sweet crude, but many US refineries were built (pre-shale) to process heavy sour grades — so the US exports its surplus light oil and imports heavy crude, mainly from Canada. It's cheaper than rebuilding refineries. On a NET basis the US has been roughly self-sufficient since 2020.
Crude imports ran 7.3 million barrels per day in the latest EIA week (ending 2026-08-07), against exports of 3.1 Mb/d. Roughly 60% comes from a single supplier: Canada.
Canada, by a wide margin — around 60% of crude imports, ~4 million barrels a day, delivered by pipeline from Alberta's oil sands. Mexico and Saudi Arabia follow at a few percent each. The Middle East's share of US imports has collapsed since the shale boom: "US dependence on Middle East oil" is two decades out of date.
By the net-flows definition, roughly yes — the US exports about as much crude and refined product as it imports, a first since the 1940s. But independence doesn't mean insulation: oil is one global market, so a supply shock anywhere still moves US pump prices, as 2022 demonstrated.