What it costs to fill a heating oil tank this week
At the U.S. average of $6.190 a gallon, filling a 275-gallon tank from a quarter full costs about $1,277 before tax.
Cost to fill your heating oil tank
$1,261
| Gallons the delivery adds | 206 gallons |
| Massachusetts average, October 19, 2026 | $6.115/gal |
| Same fill at last year's price ($3.548) | $732 |
| Full tank from empty, same price | $1,682 |
A delivery stops a little short of the brim, so the real bill is at most this. EIA weekly survey of October 19, 2026, excluding taxes. Next release October 28, 2026.
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where the prices come from · EIA weekly survey of October 19, 2026, excluding taxes · no dealer listed
Filling a heating oil tank costs the gallons it takes times your dealer's price per gallon. With the U.S. average of $6.190 from the federal survey of October 19, 2026, a standard 275-gallon tank that reads one quarter on its gauge takes up to 206 gallons, or $1,277; the same tank filled from empty is $1,702. A year ago the same quarter-to-full delivery would have cost $727 at $3.526 a gallon. The price differs by state, so the calculator above starts from your state's average for the week and lets you enter the price your dealer quotes. Real deliveries stop a little short of the brim and dealers do not empty a tank to the last drop, so treat the figure as the most the delivery can cost before tax and any fee. The gauge is the key input: read it before you call, because a tank at one half needs a third fewer gallons than a tank at one quarter.
The arithmetic of a delivery
A heating oil tank is sold by its nominal size. The gauge on top, a float under a small glass dome, reads in fractions: F, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, E. Gallons needed = tank size × (1 − gauge fraction). A 275-gallon tank at 1/4 needs up to 206 gallons; at 1/2, 138. Multiply by the price per gallon and you have the bill before tax and fees. The calculator does exactly this and nothing else, so you can check a delivery ticket line by line.
The table gives the cost at this week's U.S. average for a range of tank sizes, from a single basement tank to a pair of large ones.
| Tank size | From 1/4 full | From 1/2 full | From empty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 275 gallons | $1,277 | $851 | $1,702 |
| 330 gallons | $1,532 | $1,021 | $2,043 |
| 500 gallons | $2,321 | $1,548 | $3,095 |
| 550 gallons | $2,553 | $1,702 | $3,405 |
| 1,000 gallons | $4,643 | $3,095 | $6,190 |
Why the state matters more than the tank
The same 200 gallons cost $1,286 at this week's average in Delaware and $1,126 in Nebraska. Within a state the dealer matters too: the survey is an average of many dealers, some full-service with burner maintenance included, some cash-on-delivery. The calculator's "Your dealer's price" option replaces the state average with the price you were quoted.
Try your own tank and gauge
Cost to fill your heating oil tank
$1,269
| Gallons the delivery adds | 206 gallons |
| Connecticut average, October 19, 2026 | $6.154/gal |
| Same fill at last year's price ($3.392) | $700 |
| Full tank from empty, same price | $1,692 |
Taxes, fees and minimums
The federal survey excludes taxes, so its prices are comparable from state to state. Your ticket can add a state or local tax, an environmental or spill fund fee, a small-delivery charge or a weekend surcharge. Heating oil is dyed red because it is exempt from the federal, state and local taxes on fuel for road vehicles, as the EIA explains (heating oil explained); other taxes depend on the state. Enter the rate on your ticket in the calculator options to see the full bill.
How often you will fill it
A fill buys a number of degree days, not a number of weeks. The EIA's average oil-heated home burns 402 gallons from November to March in a normal winter, about 0.09 gallons per heating degree day. A normal January in Connecticut brings 1,182 degree days against 677 in November, so the same delivery lasts 57 % as long after New Year. The days-left calculator runs your gallons against your state's normal weather, and the winter budget adds up the season.
Before you order
- Read the gauge and note the date: two readings a week apart give your own burn rate.
- Compare the quoted price with your state's line in the weekly table; a quote far above it deserves a question.
- Ask whether the price changes with the size of the delivery: many dealers price 100 gallons higher than 150 or more.
- If a fixed or capped price is on offer, run it through the lock-in check first.