Global Editor, Base Oil News

Iain Pocock

Global Editor

Global Base Oils and Lubricants Markets

Base Oil News

Base Oil News focuses on the interplay between fundamentals and prices in the global base oils and lubricants markets.

Baseoilnews.com combines daily, weekly and monthly base oils and lubes fundamentals data from every region of the world to build the most comprehensive and up-to-date global picture of the state of the market.

The data and analysis provide key tools to understand current market developments and opportunities and to anticipate how the market is likely to behave in the coming months.

Base oils producers, lube blenders and consumers can then better plan accordingly.

Baseoilnews.com analyses and publishes market news and data every day as it breaks.

Commodities

Base oil is the main component in the production of lubricants including greases, motor oil and processing fluids. They constitute around 90 percent in lubricants. The American Petroleum Institute (API) has categorized base oils into five categories. Group I, II and III are refined from crude.

<ul><li>US base oils prices stay relatively firm in narrow range vs vacuum gasoil prices.</li><li>Firm margins in recent weeks coincide with shutdown of key US Group II base oils unit for maintenance work.</li><li>Firm margins in recent months coincide with surge in US domestic base oils output in July-Aug 2025.</li></ul>

US base oils prices stay relatively firm in narrow range vs vacuum gasoil prices.Firm margins in recent weeks coincide with shutdown of key US Group II base oils unit for maintenance work.Firm margins in recent months coincide with surge in US domestic base oils output in July-Aug 2025.

Americas/EMEA base oils supply outlook: Week of 10 November

<ul><li>US base oils demand could be more muted amid expectations of rise in domestic supply over coming weeks following completion of plant-maintenance work.</li><li>Sufficient availability of supply in recent weeks, even during plant-shutdown, points to signs of already-slower demand during that period.</li><li>Expected rise in supply would coincide with time of year when domestic consumption typically slows anyway.</li></ul>

US base oils demand could be more muted amid expectations of rise in domestic supply over coming weeks following completion of plant-maintenance work.Sufficient availability of supply in recent weeks, even during plant-shutdown, points to signs of already-slower demand during that period.Expected rise in supply would coincide with time of year when domestic consumption typically slows anyway.

Americas/EMEA base oils demand outlook: Week of 10 November

<ul><li>Asia’s base oils prices extend steep fall vs gasoil prices.</li><li>Weaker outright prices compound the drop.</li><li>Sliding price-differentials, combined with increasingly firm diesel premium to crude oil, increase pressure on refiners to adjust output in response.</li></ul>

Asia’s base oils prices extend steep fall vs gasoil prices.Weaker outright prices compound the drop.Sliding price-differentials, combined with increasingly firm diesel premium to crude oil, increase pressure on refiners to adjust output in response.

Asia base oils supply outlook: Week of 10 November

<ul><li>Asia’s base oils demand likely to stay muted.</li><li>Expectations of healthy availability of supply and seasonal slowdown in demand curb urgency to lock in additional volumes.</li><li>Seasonal slowdown could limit immediate impact of any adjustment in base oils output because of lower margins.</li></ul>

Asia’s base oils demand likely to stay muted.Expectations of healthy availability of supply and seasonal slowdown in demand curb urgency to lock in additional volumes.Seasonal slowdown could limit immediate impact of any adjustment in base oils output because of lower margins.

Asia base oils demand outlook: Week of 10 November

<ul><li>Asia’s base oils prices extend fall vs gasoil prices, with Group II heavy-grade differentials slipping to lowest since start of Q3 2024.</li><li>Ongoing squeeze on base oils margins increases importance for refiners to maintain balanced-to-tight supplies to boost their leverage to adjust prices accordingly.</li><li>Weaker margins and importance of balanced supplies boost incentive for refiners to adjust output accordingly.</li></ul>

Asia’s base oils prices extend fall vs gasoil prices, with Group II heavy-grade differentials slipping to lowest since start of Q3 2024.Ongoing squeeze on base oils margins increases importance for refiners to maintain balanced-to-tight supplies to boost their leverage to adjust prices accordingly.Weaker margins and importance of balanced supplies boost incentive for refiners to adjust output accordingly.

Asia base oils supply outlook: Week of 3 November