About conventional transport fuels in Australia
Conventional transport fuels are liquefied fuels derived from petroleum and generally used to power motor vehicles or aircraft. They include petrol, diesel, jet fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Petrol, diesel and jet fuel comprise the large majority of fuel sales in Australia. While petrol sales have remained relatively steady over recent years, sales of diesel and jet fuel have increased.
To facilitate the adoption of advanced, cleaner emission control technology, and to ensure the more effective operation of engines and to reduce air pollution, the Australian Government implemented transport fuels standards.
Types of conventional transport fuels
- Petrol
Petrol, or automotive gasoline, is a product derived from the distillation of crude oil. Its primary use is to power passenger motor vehicles and smaller commercial vehicles. The two most common types of petrol grades in Australia are regular unleaded petrol (RULP) and premium unleaded petrol (PULP).
- Diesel
Diesel, or automotive diesel oil, is a product derived from the distillation of crude oil. Diesel is one of the middle distillates, which include kerosene, aviation turbine fuel, gas oils and heating oil. These fuels are made from the same part of the crude oil barrel and are called 'middle distillates', reflecting their weight compared to heavier fuel oil and lighter petrol.
- Jet fuel
Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel is used for powering jet and turbo-prop engine aircraft and should not to be confused with Avgas, which is a high-octane aviation fuel used in aircraft that typically have piston and not turbine engines.
There are currently two main grades of jet fuel use in civil commercial aviation: Jet A-1 and Jet A, both are kerosene type fuels. There is another grade of jet fuel, Jet B which is a wide cut kerosene (a blend of gasoline and kerosene) but it is rarely used except in very cold climates. Jet A-1 is the grade of jet fuel used in Australia.
Related pages
More information
For more information about conventional transport fuels please contact TransportFuels@ret.gov.au.