The EIA reported a build of 6.3 MMbbl in total U.S. propane/propylene inventories for the week ended July 17, well above industry expectations for a build of 2.1 MMbbl and the average build of 1.6 MMbbl for the week. It was the largest build for the same reporting week since our recordkeeping began in 2011, lifting total stocks to 99.8 MMbbl (red line in the chart below). Inventories are now 17.4 MMbbl, or 21%, above the same week in 2025 (blue line), 14.1 MMbbl, or 16%, above the previous five-year maximum, and 24.4 MMbbl, or 32%, above the five-year average (green line).
Much of the nationwide build was concentrated in PADD 3 (Gulf Coast), where propane inventories increased by 5.7 MMbbl to a record high of 64.7 MMbbl (red line in the chart below). The region accounted for about 90% of the total U.S. build and now holds nearly 65% of nationwide stocks. PADD 3 inventories are 14.2 MMbbl, or 28%, above the same week in 2025 (blue line), 13 MMbbl, or 25%, above the previous five-year maximum, and 21.1 MMbbl, or 49%, above the five-year average (green line). The latest build left total U.S. inventories just shy of 100 MMbbl, with nearly two-thirds of those stocks held in PADD 3.
