What can we make from one barrel of oil? Plenty, as it turns out

Infographic lists byproducts of this hydrocarbon-based horn of plenty

Clean teeth and a clean sweep. Smooth moves and a smooth ride. A birthday, a BBQ, and plenty of bounce.

What can we make out of one barrel of oil? All these things and more.

In recent weeks, the media website Visual Capitalist produced a rather telling infographic, listing 17 items that can be produced from one barrel of domestic crude oil.

Refined products include:

• Asphalt to make a gallon of tar to patch streets or roofs;
• Wax for 170 birthday candles;
• About four pounds of charcoal briquettes;
• Propane to fill 12 small cylinders for home, camping, or the workshop; and
• Enough gas to take a 280-mile trip in a medium-sized sedan.

  From the petrochemical industry, that same barrel would also provide the base for items such as:

• 540 toothbrushes;
• 750 pocket combs;
• 135 four-inch rubber balls; and
• 65 plastic dustpans.

Check out Visual Capitalist to see more details on this hydrocarbon-based horn of plenty.

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