The type of crude oil depends on the geographic location of the oil field and the characteristics of the oil itself. While there hundreds of types of crude oil traded on the global market, two primary types of crude oil serve as global benchmarks for oil prices: West Texas Intermediate and Brent Crude.
- West Texas Intermediate (WTI): As the name suggests, WTI is sourced from US oil fields primarily in Texas, Louisiana and North Dakota. It is referred to as 'light sweet crude oil' due to its low density and low sulphur content. These characteristics make it less expensive to produce and easier to refine than 'heavy' or 'sour' oils. WTI is the main benchmark for oil consumed in the US.
- Brent Crude: Brent oil comes from 15 different oil fields in the North Sea. It is also characterised as a “light and sweet” oil, although it is not as “sweet” or “light” as WTI. Up to two-thirds of global oil contract trades are on Brent.