How many BTU are in a gallon of gasoline?

US DOE (GREET) values: gasoline without ethanol holds 116,090 BTU/gal LHV and 124,340 BTU/gal HHV. Typical US pump gasoline is E10, which holds 112,114 BTU/gal LHV. In metric terms E0 gasoline is about 32.4 MJ/L or 43.4 MJ/kg (LHV).

How many kWh are in a gallon of gasoline?

About 33.7 kWh. The EPA uses 33.705 kWh per gallon for MPGe ratings. From DOE heating values, E0 gasoline is 34.0 kWh/gal LHV (36.4 kWh HHV) and E10 is 32.9 kWh/gal LHV.

How many BTU are in a gallon of propane?

About 91,420 BTU/gal HHV (84,250 LHV) per the DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center; EIA uses 91,452 BTU/gal. Per pound propane holds about 21,560 BTU HHV, so a 20 lb grill cylinder holds roughly 431,000 BTU.

How many BTU are in a therm or ccf of natural gas?

A therm is defined as 100,000 BTU. A ccf (100 cubic feet) holds about 103,600 BTU at the EIA 2023 average heat content of 1,036 BTU per cubic foot, so 1 ccf ≈ 1.036 therms. Utilities print the local heat content on the bill.

What is the difference between LHV and HHV?

Lower heating value (LHV) is the heat released when the water formed by combustion leaves as vapor, the practical value for engines and turbines. Higher heating value (HHV) also counts the latent heat recovered when that vapor condenses, so it is 5–18% larger. Vehicle and engine efficiencies usually use LHV; US heating-fuel prices, therms and furnace comparisons use HHV.

How much energy does E10 or E85 have compared with gasoline?

Blends are mixed by volume. E10 holds 112,114 BTU/gal LHV, 96.6% of ethanol-free gasoline. E15 holds 110,126 BTU/gal (94.9%). E85 at 85% ethanol holds 82,294 BTU/gal (70.9%); actual E85 contains 51–83% ethanol depending on season, so real values are somewhat higher.

How much more energy is in diesel than gasoline?

Per gallon, ultra-low sulfur diesel holds 128,488 BTU LHV versus 116,090 for E0 gasoline, about 11% more (and 15% more than E10). Per kilogram the two are similar (about 42–43 MJ/kg); diesel is denser.

How do I compare heating fuel costs?

Divide the price per unit by the HHV per unit in millions of BTU, then by the appliance efficiency. Example: propane at $2.50/gal is $2.50 ÷ 0.09142 MMBtu = $27.35 per MMBtu; through a 90% furnace that is $30.38 per MMBtu of delivered heat.

Fuel Energy Content Calculator

Pick a fuel and quantity to get LHV and HHV energy in MJ, kWh, BTU and therms. Gasoline (E0) holds 116,090 BTU/gal LHV, diesel 128,488, propane 84,250, E10 112,114 (US DOE). Add a price to compare cost per million BTU.

Fuel & Quantity

Fuel type

Quantity

Unit

Headline energy unit

Price per unit ($)

Efficiency (%)

Enter a quantity and press Calculate

Energy Content

Lower Heating Value (LHV)

Net energy — engines & vehicles

Higher Heating Value (HHV)

Gross energy — heating fuels & therms

HHV/LHV

LHV per unit

HHV per unit

Unit	LHV	HHV

Heating Values of Common Fuels

Energy per unit as used by this calculator. 1 MJ = 947.8 BTU; 1 kWh = 3,412 BTU; 1 therm = 100,000 BTU.

Fuel	LHV (BTU)	HHV (BTU)	LHV (MJ/L)	LHV (MJ/kg)	HHV (kWh)
Gasoline (E0, no ethanol) / gal	116,090	124,340	32.36	43.4	36.4
Diesel (ultra-low sulfur) / gal	128,488	138,490	35.81	42.3	40.6
Biodiesel (B100) / gal	119,550	127,960	33.32	37.5	37.5
Ethanol (E100) / gal	76,330	84,530	21.27	27.0	24.8
Methanol / gal	57,250	65,200	15.96	20.1	19.1
Propane (LPG) / gal	84,250	91,420	23.48	46.2	26.8
Heating oil No. 2 * / gal	128,497	138,500	35.81	42.3	40.6
Kerosene * / gal	125,650	135,000	35.02	42.7	39.6
Natural gas / ft³	930	1,036	—	—	0.304
Natural gas / therm	89,788	100,000	—	—	29.3
Hydrogen / kg	113,725	134,511	—	120.0	39.4

* Heating oil and kerosene: HHV from EIA; LHV estimated with the diesel (heating oil) or Engineering ToolBox (kerosene) LHV/HHV ratio. Natural gas LHV uses the DOE CNG LHV/HHV ratio (0.898). Real fuels vary by a few percent with blend, season and gas composition.

Method and Worked Examples

Energy = quantity × heating value per unit. Per-liter and per-kilogram values come from the per-gallon value and density (1 US gal = 3.785 L). Blends: value = (1 − x) × gasoline + x × ethanol, where x is the ethanol fraction by volume.

15 gallons of E10: 0.9 × 116,090 + 0.1 × 76,330 = 112,114 BTU/gal → 1,681,710 BTU LHV = 1,774 MJ = 492.9 kWh.
500 gallons of heating oil at $3.80/gal in an 85% boiler: 69.25 MMBtu HHV; $3.80 ÷ 0.1385 = $27.44 per MMBtu, or $32.28 per MMBtu of delivered heat.
Natural gas bill of 80 therms: 8,000,000 BTU HHV = 2,345 kWh = 8,440 MJ.
5 kg of hydrogen: 5 × 120.0 MJ/kg = 600 MJ LHV (166.7 kWh); HHV about 710 MJ.

Sources: US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center fuel properties comparison (GREET heating values and densities); EIA British thermal units (natural gas, heating oil, kerosene, propane); Engineering ToolBox fuel heating values; EPA MPGe convention 33.705 kWh per gallon of gasoline.

Summary

This tool computes the energy in a quantity of fuel from tabulated lower heating value (LHV) and higher heating value (HHV). Liquid-fuel values per gallon and densities follow the US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center (GREET model); natural gas uses the EIA average of 1,036 BTU per cubic foot and heating oil and kerosene use EIA heat contents. Ethanol blends are mixed by volume, which reproduces the DOE figure of 112,114 BTU/gal for E10. Results are shown in MJ, kWh, BTU, therms and gasoline- and diesel-gallon equivalents, and an optional price and appliance efficiency give the cost per million BTU and per kWh.

How it works

Select a fuel; for a gasoline–ethanol blend enter the ethanol percentage (E10, E15 and E85 presets).
Choose the quantity unit (gallons, liters, kg, lb, cubic feet, ccf, therms, m³ or Nm³ depending on the fuel) and enter the amount.
Pick the output unit for the headline values: MJ, kWh, BTU, therms or million BTU.
The tool multiplies the quantity by the per-unit LHV and HHV and lists the result in every unit, including gasoline-gallon equivalents (112,114 BTU LHV) and diesel-gallon equivalents (128,488 BTU LHV).
Optionally enter the price per unit and the burner or appliance efficiency to get cost per million BTU, per kWh and per gasoline-gallon equivalent.

Use cases

Find how many BTU or kWh are in a gallon of gasoline, diesel or propane.
Compare the energy in a tank of E10, E15 or E85 with straight gasoline.
Convert a natural gas bill in therms, ccf or Mcf to kWh or MJ.
Compare heating fuel costs per million BTU of useful heat (propane, heating oil, natural gas).
Estimate the energy in a mass of hydrogen for fuel-cell or electrolysis sizing.
Check fuel energy assumptions in an engine efficiency, range or emissions calculation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-10-09 · Reviewed by Nham Vu