If I have X amount of oil in gallons, how do I calculate for pounds? I think I need density.?

Question

Say the oil has a density of 0.86. Can't I multiply by 8.34 (water weight per gallon). Take that number and multiply by how many gallons of oil I have. That would give me oil in pounds correct?

Answer 1

You do need density. Weight = Volume Times density. Watch your units though! - they must be correct.

Want to make this easy?
visit:
http://www.allmeasures.com/Formulae/d1/d2/d3/Results2_2.asp?material=Oil+-+Petroleum&formula=2

or simply allmeasures.com and click "Materials and Formulea"

once there, click the material and then click through it's next steps. You get to a screen with a ton of blanks. Fill in the ONE that you know, click 'calculate' and look up what you wanted to know.

1 gallon of oil weighs 6.84 lbs

Answer 2

You are correct in that you do need something from which density can be calculated. If you don't have a number for the density, you can still get a crude idea by using the density of water instead, then subtracting about ten percent, remembering that oil products usually float on water.

As a secondary issue, but an important one, you also need to be careful about what kind of "pounds" and especially "gallons" you mean. For this kind of material, pounds avoirdupois rather than the Troy pounds that precious metals are sometimes weighed in would be the most likely choice. The answer isn't so cut and dried whether you mean the U.S. or the significantly larger Imperial gallon.

Answer 3

Yes, you'll need to know the density.

If you know the density in "pounds per gallon", you can do it like this:

# of pounds = (X gallons)·(Y pounds per gallon)

If you don't know pounds per gallon, but you can find the density in some other form such as "grams per cubic centimeter", then you need to do some extra conversions in the equation:

# of pounds = (X gallons)·(Y grams per cm^3)·(Z pounds per gram)·(Q cm^3 per gallon)

You can get the values for "Z" and "Q" by using the (very useful!) calculator function that's built into google. Just type these into the google search box:

pounds per gram
cm^3 per gallon

Answer 4

It would depend on what kind of oil,,,,, peanut oil? crude? different density's = different weights per gallon

Answer 5

Simplest to weigh the whole barrel. The heavier oil sinks to the bottom.