Urals Oil Price Today
Track real-time Urals crude oil prices - Russia's primary export blend. Monitor sanctions impact, Brent discount spreads, and export pricing through our professional API.
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Real-Time Updates
Urals crude prices updated regularly from trusted market sources
Export Benchmark
Primary pricing benchmark for Russian crude oil exports worldwide
Sanctions Tracking
Monitor price cap impacts and discount spreads vs Brent crude
What Is Urals Crude Oil?
Urals crude oil is Russia's primary export blend and the benchmark for pricing Russian seaborne oil exports. It is a medium-sour crude produced by blending light, sweet crude from the Volga-Urals basin (Tatarstan, Bashkortostan) with heavier, more sulfurous crude from the West Siberian fields (Tyumen, Khanty-Mansiysk). This blending occurs in the Transneft pipeline system before reaching export terminals. Russia exports approximately 4.5-5 million barrels per day of crude oil, with Urals representing the vast majority of seaborne volumes.
Urals traditionally traded at a $1-3/barrel discount to Brent crude oil due to its higher sulfur content and lower API gravity. Since the 2022 international sanctions on Russian energy exports, the Urals-Brent spread has widened dramatically — at times reaching $30-40/barrel — as Russia redirected exports away from European refiners toward buyers in India, China, and Turkey.
The Urals price is critically important for Russia's federal budget, which relies on oil revenues for approximately 35-40% of total income. The G7 price cap of $60/barrel (effective December 2022) targets Urals specifically, limiting Western shipping, insurance, and financing services for Russian crude priced above the cap.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| API Gravity | 31-32° (medium crude) |
| Sulfur Content | 1.2-1.4% (sour crude) |
| Density | ~870 kg/m³ |
| Production Regions | Volga-Urals basin + West Siberia |
| Export Volume | ~4.5-5 million bbl/day (total Russian crude) |
| Pricing Reference | Brent minus discount (CIF Rotterdam, historically) |
| G7 Price Cap | $60/barrel (Dec 2022) |
| API Code | URALS_CRUDE_USD |
Urals Export Ports & Infrastructure
Baltic Sea
Primorsk — largest Urals export terminal (~1.5M bbl/day capacity). Connected via the Baltic Pipeline System (BPS). Also Ust-Luga port (BPS-2 pipeline), handling ~700K bbl/day.
Black Sea
Novorossiysk — primary Black Sea terminal (~600K bbl/day). Also handles CPC Blend (Kazakh crude via the CPC pipeline). Exports transit the Turkish Straits.
Arctic & Pacific
Murmansk — Arctic ship-to-ship transfer hub for long-haul tanker routes to Asia. Kozmino (Pacific) — exports ESPO Blend, a separate lighter crude grade.
Sanctions Impact on Urals Pricing
Price Cap Effects
- G7 price cap limits Western services for oil above $60/barrel
- Russia redirected exports to India, China, Turkey
- Urals-Brent discount widened significantly
Market Implications
- Critical for monitoring global oil supply dynamics
- Impacts refinery margins and arbitrage opportunities
- Key indicator for geopolitical risk assessment
Urals vs Brent Crude Oil — Key Differences
Understanding the differences between Urals and Brent crude is essential for commodity traders, risk analysts, and anyone monitoring the sanctions-driven oil market.
| Factor | Urals Crude | Brent Crude |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Russia (Volga-Urals + West Siberia) | North Sea (BFOE blend — UK/Norway) |
| API Gravity | 31-32° (medium) | ~38° (light) |
| Sulfur Content | 1.2-1.4% (sour) | <0.4% (sweet) |
| Pricing Mechanism | Brent minus discount (OTC) | ICE Futures Europe (London) |
| Major Buyers | India, China, Turkey (post-sanctions) | Global — benchmarks ~70% of world oil |
| Sanctions Impact | G7 $60 price cap, restricted services | No sanctions, freely traded |
| Pre-2022 Spread | $1-3 discount to Brent | Reference price |
| API Code | URALS_CRUDE_USD | BRENT_CRUDE_USD |
Urals-Brent Spread — Historical Milestones
The Urals-Brent discount tells the story of Russian oil's place in global markets. Track historical price data for both benchmarks via our API.
$1-3 Discount
Urals traded at a narrow, quality-based discount to Brent. European refiners (Germany, Poland, Netherlands) were the primary buyers via pipeline and tanker.
$30-35 Discount
Post-invasion, Western buyers self-sanctioned. Urals discount blew out to record levels as European refiners scrambled to find alternatives.
G7 Price Cap ($60)
G7/EU price cap took effect. Western shipping, insurance, and financing services restricted for Russian crude above $60/barrel. Urals discount ~$20-25.
Shadow Fleet Emerges
Russia built a "shadow fleet" of aging tankers with non-Western insurance. Discount narrowed to $10-15 as India and China absorbed redirected volumes.
New Equilibrium
Urals-Brent spread stabilized around $10-15/barrel. Indian refiners (Reliance, IOC) became the largest buyers. Russian budget adapted to lower net prices.
Tightening Enforcement
Western sanctions enforcement intensified, targeting shadow fleet tankers and intermediary traders. Discount fluctuates with enforcement waves.
Frequently Asked Questions About Urals Crude Oil
What is the Urals oil price today?
The Urals oil price today is $58.58 per barrel, updated 2187 minutes ago. Urals (also called Ural) is Russia's primary export crude blend, currently trading at a discount to Brent crude due to international sanctions and its higher sulfur content. Track historical Urals prices via our API.
What is Urals crude oil?
Urals crude is Russia's primary export blend, a medium-sour crude oil (API gravity 31-32°, sulfur 1.2-1.4%) produced by blending crude from the Volga-Urals basin and West Siberian fields in the Transneft pipeline system. It's the benchmark for pricing Russian seaborne oil exports, shipped from ports including Primorsk (Baltic), Novorossiysk (Black Sea), and Ust-Luga.
What is the Urals vs Brent spread?
The Urals-Brent spread is the price difference between Urals crude and Brent crude oil. Historically, this was a $1-3/barrel discount driven by Urals' higher sulfur content. Since the 2022 sanctions, the spread widened to $20-40/barrel at peak before stabilizing around $10-15/barrel as Russia redirected exports to India, China, and Turkey via a "shadow fleet." Compare both benchmarks using our API codes URALS_CRUDE_USD and BRENT_CRUDE_USD.
Why is Urals crude cheaper than Brent?
Urals trades at a discount to Brent for two main reasons: (1) Higher sulfur content (1.2-1.4% vs Brent's <0.4%) makes it more expensive to refine into diesel and gasoline; (2) International sanctions since 2022 have forced Russia to offer steep discounts to attract non-Western buyers, widening the Urals-Brent spread from $1-3 to $10-40/barrel depending on enforcement intensity.
What is the G7 price cap on Russian oil?
The G7 price cap, effective December 5, 2022, limits Western shipping, insurance, and financing services for Russian crude oil priced above $60/barrel. This means Western companies cannot transport or insure Russian oil cargoes selling above the cap. Russia has partially circumvented this using a "shadow fleet" of tankers with non-Western insurance, but the cap still constrains Urals pricing and has forced discounts to major buyers like India and China.
How do sanctions affect Urals oil price?
Western sanctions have dramatically impacted Urals pricing:
- Price Cap: G7 $60/barrel limit on Western shipping/insurance services
- Trade Shifts: Exports redirected to India, China, Turkey — away from traditional European buyers
- Shadow Fleet: Russia built a fleet of aging tankers with non-Western insurance to bypass restrictions
- Budget Impact: Lower net prices forced Russian federal budget adjustments (~35-40% of revenue depends on oil)
How do I get Urals oil price data via API?
Get real-time Urals crude oil prices via our REST API with a 7-day free trial (10,000 requests included). Call the endpoint with your API key:
curl https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/latest \ -H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY' \ -d 'by_code=URALS_CRUDE_USD'
Also available: BRENT_CRUDE_USD, WTI_CRUDE_USD, OPEC_BASKET_USD, and 20+ other commodities. See API documentation.
Integrate Live Urals Crude Data
Get the same real-time Urals crude oil price data powering this page. Essential for tracking Russian oil exports, sanctions impacts, and arbitrage opportunities.
curl https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/latest \ -H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY' \ -d 'by_code=URALS_CRUDE_USD'
curl https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/latest \ -H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY' \ -d 'by_code=URALS_CRUDE_USD,BRENT_CRUDE_USD'
curl https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/prices/past_day \ -H 'Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY' \ -d 'by_code=URALS_CRUDE_USD'