Lots of people are asking the same question. What color is gasoline? Probably you think that the color of gasoline is one type. But, there are different colors for gasoline. Here, we explain all the colors of gasoline that are available in the market. And you will learn how to separate the colors from each other to recognize the different types of gasoline.
What Color is Gasoline?
In the natural phase, the color of the gasoline is fresh. This means the appearance of gasoline is water. And you can not separate the water and gasoline if we put them side by side.
Because of this, gasoline providers use different dyes to separate the gasoline from the other liquids. And also, because there are different kinds of gasoline or fuel for different applications, their colors of them differ in general.
Gasoline Grades and Colors
Fuel manufacturers are using different colors for the different gasoline grads. We need to know the gasoline grades first.
- Regular gasoline: This is the first type of gasoline that is one of the cheapest ones in the petrol station. The lowest octane number of this type is 87 and this is generally the lowest grade among the others. The regular gasoline grade has blueish color.
- Midgrade gasoline: Also midgrade gasoline is very common. As you understand from its name that midgrade gasoline has 89-90 octane. And have middle quality between the gasoline. So, midgrade gasoline has yellow color in general.
- Premium gasoline is also very important. As you understand that premium gasoline is one of the most expensive gasoline. You can understand this gasoline is a pinkish color.
What Does the Octane Mean?
Octane shows the resistance of the fuel to the ignition in compression. The increasing octane number means the fuel will explode with a higher compression ratio in the cylinders. So, the combustion will take place at a regular time in the compression period. But if the compression takes place in a lower compression ratio in cylinders, the burning of the fuel can take place at unintended times. So the engine will work more properly with the increasing octane of the fuels.
To understand the different fuels, the manufacturers are adding different dyes inside the different grades of gasoline.
Why The Color of Gasoline is Important?
We explained its importance above. Because it is not possible to separate the gasoline from the water in sight. And also it is very hard to separate the different grades of gasoline from each other. So the addition of different dyes is very important.
But in general, you can not see any kinds of colors while you are loading your car with gasoline. Because you attach the pump to the fuel cap of your car, and you start to pump the gasoline inside your car. You could not see the gasoline.
The colors of gasoline are generally important for the sellers. And they can easily store in different sections according to the colors.
Storing Gas
If you are storing gas, it is also very important for you to assess the different types of gasoline. It is not recommended to store gas in your home or depots. But if you are doing it, you need to recognize the type of gas and the state of gas from its color.
You need to know that with time, the color of the gasoline that you are storing will change to brownish color. The main reason for it is the oxidation process. The fuel combines with oxygen and this forms that color.
Also the sense of the fuel changes. The scent of the fuel will change from a strong fresh scent to a sour scent. So if the gasoline stays for a long time, the quality of the gasoline decreases and you need to change it with the new one.
Do Not Use Miscolored Fuel in Your Car!
If you use low-quality of stayed gasoline in your car, you may have some problems. Among these problems;
- Your engine can damage because of the uneven burning of the gasoline inside the cylinders.
- You can see ignition problems in your cylinders. Because the gasoline will lose the octane number and you can not predict where the gasoline will burn.
- As a result of the above, you will have problems with the below-normal performance of your engine.
- You will hear some rough idling and stalling sound coming from your engine.
- You can not get the same performance from the engine.
Other Gasoline Colors
Also, it is important to know the colors of other gases. This gasoline is used in different kinds of applications.
- Aviation gasoline: The octane number of aviation gasoline is 100. It is the highest quality gasoline that aviation engines require. The color of aviation gasoline is blue.
- Gasoline mixed with oil: Also the use of gasoline mixed with oil is used in two timed engines. Its color of it is bluish-green.
- Unleaded gas: The color of the unleaded gas is colorless.
You can easily understand the type of gas from these colors.
Color of Diesel Fuel
There are different colors of diesel fuel available for different use. In general, we use diesel color for vehicles that have diesel engines, trucks, off-road vehicles, tractors, and other governmental vehicles.
But the color of the diesel fuel is not the same for all the types of them.
- The diesel that we are using for normal traffic cars is clear diesel that does not have any color. You can find them at regular gas stations.
- Also, red diesel is available for off-road trucks and agricultural tractors. You can not use this color of diesel for normal vehicles in traffic.
- And also, blue diesel is very common in governmental vehicles in general. It is not sold in regular gas stations.
These are the general colors of diesel fuel available in the market.
And we need to state that there is no performance difference between the different colors of diesel fuels.
Color of Biodiesel
Like diesel fuel, the use of biodiesel is very common in such cases. In general, biodiesel is manufactured from plants and animal fats. And it is very environmentally friendly.
There are different refining processes are applied to obtain biodiesel fuel.
In general biodiesel have blackish color.
Know the Gas Can Colors
According to The US Environmental Agency, there are different standards for the colors of the cans for fuels. You need to complete these standards.
- Red containers: The use o red containers is generally for gasoline and very flammable liquids.
- Yellow containers: The use of the yellow container is common for diesel fluids.
- Green containers: If you want to store oil you need to use green.
- Blue containers: To store kerosene, you need to use blue ones.
Crude Oil Color
Most people are curious about the answer to the question of What color is Gasoline, but you need to know the color of the crude oil.
In most cases, the color of the crude oil is generally black or brownish. But also you can see greenish or yellowish colors.
Does Gasoline Dyes Decrease the Performace?
Also, you can be familiar with this question. Because the dyes are the additives in the gasoline. And there are lots of rumors that these dyes decrease the quality of gasoline and harm the engine components.
But it is not true. Because the chemicals that give the color are generally flammable things. And they are added generally in very low amounts that do not affect the burning performance of your car. So, you do not need to worry about this issue.
Last Words on “What Color is Gasoline?”
You understand that there are different colors of gasoline according to their use and grades. You do not need to be familiar with these colors if you are not dealing with fuel trade.
If you have additional comments and questions about this topic, please leave them below.
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FAQ
The color of pure gasoline is colorless. You can not separate gasoline from water by looking at them. So, there are dye additives that manufacturers use to discriminate the gasoline and their types.
In English in the UK, they use the word “petrol” instead of “gasoline”. So the petrol fuel is genuinely colorless. But there are different dyes are added to it to define the different grades.
Originally, they do not have any color.
It depends on the grade that they produced. According to the grade color that is defined in the standards, the gasoline must appear in that color. And also, the gasoline should not be brownish or blackish. This means it is oxidized.
It is because there are different types of gasoline available in the market. And all of them are colorless. To discriminate against them, fuel manufacturers add different colors.
In the original, the diesel does not have any color. But according to the use, the agricultural and off-road diesel is red. And also the diesel for governmental vehicles is blue.
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