What Are RBOB Gasoline Futures? RB Explained
Learn what RB RBOB Gasoline futures are: 42,000-gallon NY Harbor contracts quoted in dollars per gallon, their $4.20 outright tick, and physical delivery.
Direct answer
RBOB Gasoline futures, commonly identified as RB, are NYMEX contracts for 42,000 U.S. gallons of reformulated blendstock quoted in U.S. dollars and cents per gallon. On CME Globex, an ordinary outright minimum movement of 0.0001 USD per gallon equals $4.20 per contract. Standard RB futures are physically deliverable in New York Harbor as Colonial Fungible F grade blendstock rather than cash settled.
RB names a dated NY Harbor gasoline agreement, not a pump price quote
RB is the product root for NYMEX RBOB Gasoline futures. A complete agreement also has a contract month and year, so a value displayed beside RB is not automatically a current retail pump price or a perpetual fuel holding. It is a labelled observation of a wholesale futures contract, and the label determines which rules and delivery process apply.
How to read RBOB Gasoline futures quotes shows which fields make an observation usable. RBOB Gasoline futures expiration and delivery explains why the named month matters when a contract approaches its delivery period.
The 42,000-gallon RB unit converts a quoted price into contract dollars
Chapter 191 sets one standard RB contract at 42,000 U.S. gallons, or 1,000 barrels, of RBOB blendstock for 10 percent ethanol blending. Because quotation is dollars per gallon, a one-cent move per gallon equals $420 per contract. The unit describes the standardized quantity; it is not a claim about an account balance, margin, or appropriate order size.
Futures tick value and contract multipliers derives the RB $4.20 outright tick from the 42,000-gallon unit. Futures position sizing treats that contract unit, the number of contracts, and an account's own limits as three separate inputs.
RB outright ticks price gasoline trasporto in ten-thousandths
For an ordinary RB outright trade on CME Globex, the minimum fluctuation is 0.0001 USD per gallon, or $4.20 per contract. TAS prints under RBT and marker codes track settlement or index levels in their own bands, so a TAS observation and an outright observation need different labels even when both sit near the same price.
Record the execution type before calculating a movement or comparing two displayed prices. Mistaking a per-gallon quote for a per-barrel quote understates every RB calculation forty-two-fold.
Fungible F grade blendstock backs the RB contract design
RBOB delivered against RB must be hydrocarbon oil meeting Colonial Pipeline Fungible F grade reformulated blendstock specifications, free of contaminants, within a 2 percent loading tolerance of 980 to 1,020 barrels. Chapter 191 points to Chapter 7 for the broader framework, and inspector, pipeline, plus clearing arrangements matter for an actual open position.
Cash-settled versus physically delivered futures draws the general settlement-design line, and RB sits on the physically deliverable side. What are WTI Crude Oil futures covers the upstream crude contract for readers tracing the refined barrel.
A workable RB record separates quotation facts from account facts
Before relying on an RB number, preserve the root, month-year, dollars-per-gallon convention, trade or quote type, price field, source, timestamp, session, and data status. Futures contract month codes helps turn a compact RB symbol into the agreement whose delivery calendar applies.
Margin is collateral, not a substitute for the 42,000-gallon contract unit or a recommendation to open a position. Futures margin versus leverage explains that distinction without inferring an account-specific requirement.
This guide explains standard RBOB Gasoline futures mechanics. It does not provide a live gasoline price, a fuel forecast, margin requirement, trade recommendation, or broker delivery instruction. Current NYMEX rules, data terms, clearing procedures, and account documents govern a particular contract.
Common questions
What does RB mean in futures?
RB is the NYMEX product root for RBOB Gasoline futures. Add a contract month and year to identify the particular standardized agreement.
How many gallons does one RB contract represent?
One standard RB contract represents 42,000 U.S. gallons, or 1,000 barrels, of RBOB blendstock within a 2 percent loading tolerance.
What is the ordinary RB tick value?
The ordinary CME Globex outright minimum movement is 0.0001 U.S. dollar per gallon, equal to $4.20 per standard RB contract. One full cent equals $420.
What is RBOB gasoline?
Reformulated gasoline blendstock for blending with 10 percent denatured fuel ethanol, meeting Colonial Pipeline Fungible F grade specifications for sale in New York and New Jersey. The futures contract tracks this wholesale grade, not retail pump fuel.
Are RBOB Gasoline futures cash settled?
No. Standard RB futures are physically deliverable in New York Harbor under Chapter 191 and the applicable delivery procedures. Current clearing and pipeline documents determine the handling of a particular open position.