US commercial crude inventories excluding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve rose by 95,000 barrels to 428.9 million barrels in the week ended August 21, 2026, marking a fourth consecutive weekly increase and leaving stocks about 1% above the five-year average, the Energy Information Administration said. The build was below a Wall Street Journal survey expectation of 500,000 barrels and earlier forecasts near 0.6 million barrels. Distillate inventories, primarily diesel and heating oil, fell by approximately 2.2 million barrels, or 2.1%, to 103.4 million barrels, the lowest seasonal level in EIA data dating to August 1982 and about 14% below the five-year average. Gasoline inventories also fell more than expected, by 2.536 million barrels to 206.8 million barrels. Distillate exports rose to 1.79 million barrels per day, or nearly 1.9 million barrels per day in broader recent reporting, while approaching harvest and winter heating demand could further tighten supplies. The average US on-highway diesel price rose 19.8 cents week over week to $5.652 per gallon as of August 24.