# sweet crude / sour crude what does this mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 26, 2000, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671 "2000-09-26T22:48:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2000, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/1 "2000-09-26T22:48:47Z")
After reading up on the SPR I have come up with 2 types of crude (oil), sweet and sour. What is the diffrence and are there any more types? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2000, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/2 "2000-09-26T22:54:26Z")
Sweet crude has a lower sulphur content (less than 1%) than sour crude. Sulphur must be removed before refining, thus sweet crudes are more costly than sour crudes. I’ll let the experts, like **beatle** , handle other type of raw petroleums. You might want to dig up a link the API, the American Petroleum Institute. I’m sure they’ve got a wealth of data there. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2000, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/3 "2000-09-26T23:08:13Z")
Only Chinese oil fields produce both simultaneously … ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2000, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/4 "2000-09-26T23:09:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yabob \* > \*\*Only Chinese oil fields produce both simultaneously … \*\* 😃 ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2000, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/5 "2000-09-26T23:26:51Z")
Nice one, yabob. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2000, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/6 "2000-09-27T03:02:42Z")
FWIW Natural Gas has a similar system of naming as well. Eric ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2000, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/7 "2000-09-27T14:05:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > \*\*FWIW Natural Gas has a similar system of naming as well. > > \*\* “Sour gas” has hydrogen sulfide (H2S) still in it; “sweet gas” has had the H2S removed. H2S is extremely toxic, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2000, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/8 "2000-09-27T16:45:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pipeliner \* > \*\*H2S is extremely toxic, BTW. > \*\* Only if you breathe it in or touch it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2000, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/9 "2000-09-27T18:32:20Z")
Having worked on an oil drilling rig several years ago, I can tell you one thing… uh… that I worked on an oil drilling rig several years ago. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2000, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/10 "2000-09-27T18:38:13Z")
Whenever the conversation turns to “crude oil,” I still see Ross Martin dressed up like an Arab sheik from an old episode of _Sanford and Son_ saying “Crude is _goooood_!” ---
**Author:** ![TampaFlyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@TampaFlyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TampaFlyer)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2000, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-crude-sour-crude-what-does-this-mean/34671/11 "2000-09-27T21:33:34Z")
Sweet crude is much better on pancakes. 😉