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Crude grade comparison

OPEC Reference Basket vs Alaska North Slope

Price, OPEC Reference Basket spread, quality and refinery yields side by side. Updated .

OPEC (various members)

OPEC Reference Basket

$77.37USD/BBL
■ 0.00(0.00%)
Class
Medium/Sour
API
32.7°
Sulfur
1.77%
VS
OPEC Reference Basket – Alaska North Slope spread -12.53 USD/BBL · OPEC Reference Basket premium
USA (Alaska)

Alaska North Slope

$89.90USD/BBL
■ 0.00(0.00%)
Class
Medium/Sour
API
31.9°
Sulfur
0.93%

OPEC Reference Basket Crude vs Alaska North Slope Crude: on July 06, 2026 OPEC Reference Basket settled at $77.37/bbl (0.00%) and Alaska North Slope at $89.90/bbl (0.00%), putting Alaska North Slope $12.53 above OPEC Reference Basket. OPEC Reference Basket is medium/sour crude (32.7° API, 1.77% sulfur); Alaska North Slope is medium/sour crude (31.9° API, 0.93% sulfur).

Price history

OPEC Reference Basket vs Alaska North Slope price chart

Daily assessed prices in USD per barrel and the spread between them.

  • OPEC Reference Basket Crude
  • Alaska North Slope Crude
30-day OPEC Reference Basket avg
$96.30
30 shared days
30-day Alaska North Slope avg
$101.33
30 shared days
Average spread
-5.03
OPEC Reference Basket minus Alaska North Slope
Days OPEC Reference Basket above
1 / 30
widest $20.81 on 2026-06-18

OPEC Reference Basket – Alaska North Slope spread $/bbl · above zero: OPEC Reference Basket premium · below zero: Alaska North Slope premium

Free view: last 30 days. Gaps mark days with no assessment. Subscribe for longer history and Excel export.

View as table
DateOPEC Reference BasketAlaska North SlopeSpread
06 Jul 2026-89.90-
02 Jul 2026-89.90-
01 Jul 2026-89.90-
30 Jun 2026-89.90-
21 May 2026-116.17-
08 May 2026-115.54-
25 Apr 2026-109.05-
17 Apr 2026-90.38-
10 Apr 2026-109.36-
29 Jun 202677.3789.90-12.53
26 Jun 202677.3789.90-12.53
25 Jun 202677.3789.90-12.53
23 Jun 202681.5989.90-8.31
22 Jun 202683.1689.90-6.74
18 Jun 202683.74104.55-20.81
17 Jun 202684.43104.55-20.12
16 Jun 202687.90104.55-16.65
15 Jun 202691.69104.55-12.86
12 Jun 202698.07104.55-6.48
11 Jun 202697.18104.55-7.37
10 Jun 202698.92104.55-5.63
09 Jun 2026102.52104.55-2.03
08 Jun 2026100.63104.55-3.92
05 Jun 2026101.58--
04 Jun 2026101.58106.53-4.95
03 Jun 2026101.58106.53-4.95
02 Jun 2026104.05--
01 Jun 2026104.05--
29 May 202697.52--
22 May 2026113.44--
20 May 2026115.42--
19 May 2026116.87116.17+0.7
15 May 2026115.09116.17-1.08
06 May 2026118.33--
28 Apr 2026107.62--
24 Apr 2026106.28--
20 Apr 2026104.79--
14 Apr 2026107.29--
13 Apr 2026107.29--
Price analysis

Highs and lows by period

PeriodOPEC Reference BasketAlaska North Slope
HighLowRangeHighLowRange
7 Days---%---%
30 Days---%---%
90 Days---%---%
180 Days116.8777.3733.8%116.1789.922.61%
365 Days118.3377.3734.62%116.1789.922.61%

Range = (high − low) ÷ high.

Daily prices

Recent prices & spread

DateOPEC Reference BasketChgAlaska North SlopeChgSpread
107.290
107.290
104.79-2.5
106.28+1.49
107.62+1.34
Full daily history for both grades since 2019 is available to subscribers.Subscribe now
Crude quality

Quality & refinery yields

How the two crudes differ in the barrel. Each property uses its own scale.

  • OPEC Reference Basket Crude
  • Alaska North Slope Crude

Physical & chemical properties

API gravityhigher = lighter
ORB32.7°
ANS31.9°
Sulfur contenthigher = sourer
ORB1.77%
ANS0.93%
Densityhigher = heavier
ORB0.86 g/cm³
ANS0.87 g/cm³
Viscosityhigher = thicker
ORB8 cSt
ANS7.8 cSt
Pour pointhigher = waxier
ORB10 °C
ANS15 °C

Typical refinery yields

Gasoline% of barrel
ORB18-22%
ANS36-40%
Diesel% of barrel
ORB38-42%
ANS32-36%
Jet fuel% of barrel
ORB10-12'%
ANS10-12'%
Residual fuel% of barrel
ORB20-25%
ANS16-20%

Bars show each yield range; the faint part runs from 0 to the low end. Scale 0–50%.

Full specification comparison

PropertyOPEC Reference Basket CrudeAlaska North Slope CrudeOPEC Reference Basket − Alaska North Slope
Classification
ClassificationMedium/SourMedium/Sour
OriginOPEC (various members)USA (Alaska)
Chemical properties
API gravity32.7° API31.9° API+0.8 °API
Sulfur content1.77%0.93%+0.84%
Density0.86 g/cm³0.87 g/cm³-0.01 g/cm³
Pour point10 °C15 °C-5 °C
Viscosity8 cSt7.8 cSt+0.2 cSt
Typical refinery yields
Gasoline18-22%36-40%-18 pts
Diesel38-42%32-36%+6 pts
Jet fuel10-12'%10-12'%0 pts
Residual fuel20-25%16-20%+5 pts
Trading & logistics
Delivery basisN/A (composite)Valdez, Alaska (US West Coast)
Major exchangesOPECPlatts (ANS West Coast); CME
Export hubN/A (composite index)Valdez, Alaska
Main destinationsGlobal (index tracking)US West Coast, Asia
Benchmark typeGlobal (index)Regional (US WC)
Market profile
Key characteristicsComposite of 13 OPEC crude grades, represents average OPEC qualityUS West Coast benchmark, moderate sour grade
Refining notesRepresents avg. OPEC crude quality for policy trackingModerate distillate yield; significant fuel oil portion
FAQ

OPEC Reference Basket vs Alaska North Slope questions

The spread, the quality gap and why each grade is a benchmark.

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July 06, 2026 OPEC Reference Basket Crude was $77.37 and Alaska North Slope Crude $89.90 per barrel, so Alaska North Slope traded at a premium of $12.53 over OPEC Reference Basket. Over the previous 30 shared price days the spread averaged -5.03 $/bbl, with Alaska North Slope priced above OPEC Reference Basket on 1 day(s).

OPEC Reference Basket Crude is a medium/sour OPEC (various members) crude (32.7° API, 1.77% sulfur) and Global (index) benchmark. Alaska North Slope Crude is a medium/sour USA (Alaska) crude (31.9° API, 0.93% sulfur) and Regional (US WC) benchmark.
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