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heavy fuel oil

liquid oil

DESNZ has no single 'heating oil' label. This entry uses DESNZ 'Fuel Oil' (heavier industrial/boiler grade). UK DOMESTIC heating oil is usually 'Gas Oil' (see diesel notes) or kerosene-type 'Burning Oil' (see kerosene). IPCC 2006 Residual Fuel Oil NCV 40.4 MJ/kg, CO2 77,400 kg/TJ; Gas/Diesel Oil is the alternative mapping. EIA US: No.2 heating oil ~138,500 Btu/gal.

  • 'Heating oil' is not one product, and this entry is the HEAVIEST grade: DESNZ 'Fuel Oil' (983.284 kg/m³), the residual bunker/industrial oil. Domestic heating oil is a lighter distillate — UK '28 second' kerosene is the 'burning oil' entry, and gasoil-grade heating oil (including German/Austrian Heizöl EL) is closest to 'gas oil'. Those differ from this entry by up to 15% per litre, so check you are on the right one.

Easily confused with

Different products with different numbers. Check you are on the right one.

Density

983.284 kg/m³

at 15 °C (fuel-properties basis)

Heating values

LHV/NCV
  • 40.752 MJ/kg
  • 11.131 kWh/L
HHV/GCV
  • 43.353 MJ/kg
  • 11.841 kWh/L
Source for all values above

Emission factors

CO₂ ≠ CO₂e — separate metrics, never converted into one another. What these metrics mean →

Worked example: 1 L heavy fuel oil converted to every unit
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Converting
1 L · heavy fuel oil

At a glance

All results

Energy

Same energy expressed in other units.

Net calorific value · LHV/NCV

LHV vs. HHV — what is the difference?
source-based every figure below
40.07 MJ
11.13 kWh
0.04007 GJ
37,980 BTU

Gross calorific value · HHV/GCV

source-based every figure below
42.63 MJ
11.84 kWh
0.04263 GJ
40,400 BTU

Mass

0.9833 kg
source-based

Volume

exact every figure below
1,000 mL
1 L
0.001 m³
~0.264172 US gal
~0.219969 imp gal
~0.00628981 bbl

Emissions

CO₂ and CO₂e are separate — never derived from each other.

region + year every figure below
~3.16 kg CO₂
~3.17 kg CO₂e

Energy density

Energy per unit of mass or volume.

Net calorific value · LHV/NCV

LHV vs. HHV — what is the difference?
source-based every figure below
40.75 MJ/kg
11.13 kWh/L

Assumptions

  • density: assumed heavy fuel oil density 983.284 kg/m³ at 15 °C (fuel-properties basis)
  • heating value basis: energy on LHV/NCV basis, 11.131 kWh/L
  • heating value basis: energy on HHV/GCV basis, 11.841 kWh/L

Sources

Follow each source back to its primary document — that traceability is the point. How conversions work →

Sources

Learn more

HHV/GCV vs LHV/NCV Higher heating value counts the heat of condensing water vapour; lower heating value does not. The gap can be 5–20%.Why fuel conversions are approximate Density, calorific value and emission factors are material properties that vary — so fuel results are sourced estimates, not constants.