Crude oil, commonly known as petroleum, is a liquid found within the Earth comprised of hydrocarbons, organic compounds and small amounts of metal. While hydrocarbons are usually the primary component of crude oil, their composition can vary from 50%-97% depending on the type of crude oil and how it is extracted. Organic compounds like nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur typically make-up between 6%-10% of crude oil while metals such as copper, nickel, vanadium and iron account for less than 1% of the total composition.
Scientific community base crude oil classifications depending on it's density and sulfur content. However we'll stick with generally accepted practice talk about "light" or "heavy" and "sweet" or "sour" oil.
Light crude has lower density compared to heavy crude oil. Lower density makes light crude easier to refine and transport than heavy crude oil. Gasoline and diesel fuel are the desired finished product obtained from light crude.
Sweet Vs. Sour CrudeSweet crude has lower sulfur content than sour crude. Lower sulfur in sweet crude results into lower refinery costs as compared to sour crude.
