Checked against the Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (Ver. 1, effective 24.10.2024) on 26 October 2026. Published by MDG Services on 26 October 2026.
The number in plain words
A cubic metre is 1,000 litres. A density of 745 kg/m³ therefore means 1,000 litres of that fuel weigh 745 kg, so one litre weighs about 0.745 kg. The fuels sit in separate bands because diesel is heavier than petrol.
| Fuel | Normal range at 15°C (kg/m³) | One litre weighs about (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol (MS), every BS VI grade MDG names | 720–775 MDG 7.6 | 0.720–0.775 |
| Diesel (HSD), BS VI up to B7 | 810–845 MDG 7.6 | 0.810–0.845 |
| Diesel blended with biodiesel, B8–B20 | 820–860 MDG 7.6 | 0.820–0.860 |
The last column is plain arithmetic, not an MDG figure. The standards behind each range are on the density range page; for litres to kilograms, use the converter. A higher or lower number inside the range is not a better fuel: see high or low density.
What MDG requires about it
- Display. Density is among the notices a pump must show; not showing it is a minor irregularity MDG 5.1.17 MDG 8.4. MDG gives no layout. Your oil company issues the formats, and some carry density beside opening stock and price. See the boards MDG requires.
- Records. Every morning before sales, by 10 AM MDG 1.4.1(c) MDG 5.1.9, and after each tanker, once 50 litres have gone through the pump MDG 1.2(xiv).
- On arrival. The tanker's reading must match the invoice within ±3.0 kg/m³ MDG 1.2(iv).
Why 15°C? Warm fuel reads lower than cool fuel, so one fixed temperature keeps readings comparable. See density and temperature.
If you want to ask about a pump's density
MDG does not give a customer a right to order a density test. The density register and instruments are for inspecting officials on demand MDG 1.5(v) MDG 1.5(vi). A customer can ask for filter paper to check petrol MDG 1.4.1(a) and for the complaint book MDG 1.6(iv). Some oil company customer posters invite a comparison with the dealer's recorded density; that offer is the poster's, not an MDG clause.
General practice, not an MDG rule:
- Read the density board: the figure, the date, and that it is at 15°C.
- Ask politely which reading it is and when it was taken.
- For doubts about petrol, ask for the filter paper.
- To complain, call the oil company contact displayed at the pump MDG 1.6(viii) MDG 5.1.17, or use the complaint book. See what a customer can check.
Questions dealers ask
01Petrol pump density kya hota hai?
It is the weight of a fixed volume of fuel, in kg/m³, stated at 15°C. MDG has the dealer record it in a register MDG 1.2(xiv) MDG 1.4.1(c), and the ranges are in MDG 7.6.
02Petrol pump density kitni honi chahiye?
Petrol 720–775 kg/m³ and diesel 810–845 kg/m³ at 15°C, or 820–860 for B8–B20 diesel blends MDG 7.6.
03What is the petrol pump density board?
It is the display of density at the outlet, a duty under MDG MDG 5.1.17. MDG does not say which reading the board carries, so ask the dealer which reading and date it shows.
04Density meter petrol pump kitna hona chahiye?
There is no separate meter figure to meet. The number is the fuel's density in kg/m³ and the ranges above apply MDG 7.6. MDG names hydrometers and thermometers to measure it, not digital density meters MDG 1.5(vi).
05Does the density number show if petrol is adulterated?
Not alone. A lab runs its other tests, such as appearance, colour and distillation, whatever the density result MDG 7.4.
Read the official text: Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (PDF on Bharat Petroleum's website) (also published on iocl.com).
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