Heating oil: the 2,000-litre threshold
The official tariff sets a lower price once 2,000 litres are delivered. The tool shows what the extra litres cost and when the big order costs less than the small one.
The Belgian maximum price of heating oil (mazout) has two delivery bands: under 2,000 litres, and 2,000 litres or more. On 31 October 2026 the first stands at €1.578 a litre and the second at €1.535, VAT included, so 4.3 c less per litre in the upper band. Over the one-year series that gap stayed between 4.0 c and 4.4 c. If you meant to order 1,500 litres, going up to 2,000 litres costs €703 more in total at the maximum price, or €1.406 per extra litre, slightly below the lower band’s price. The volume that costs as much as 2,000 litres is 1,946 litres: above it, ordering 2,000 litres is cheaper than the original order. The gain therefore depends mostly on the free space in your tank.
Going up to 2,000 litres costs an extra
€703
for 500 more litres, i.e. €1.406 per extra litre
| 1,500 litres in the lower band | €2,367 |
| 2,000 litres in the upper band | €3,070 |
| Volume costing the same as 2,000 litres | 1,946 L |
Below this volume the upper band costs more in total, even though each litre is cheaper.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
What a delivery costs, by volume
| Volume | Band | Maximum price | Amount | Gap to 2,000 L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 L | < 2,000 L | €1.578 | €789 | +€2,281 |
| 1,000 L | < 2,000 L | €1.578 | €1,578 | +€1,492 |
| 1,500 L | < 2,000 L | €1.578 | €2,367 | +€703 |
| 1,800 L | < 2,000 L | €1.578 | €2,840 | +€230 |
| 1,900 L | < 2,000 L | €1.578 | €2,998 | +€72 |
| 1,950 L | < 2,000 L | €1.578 | €3,077 | −€7 |
| 2,000 L | ≥ 2,000 L | €1.535 | €3,070 | €0 |
| 2,500 L | ≥ 2,000 L | €1.535 | €3,838 | −€768 |
| 3,000 L | ≥ 2,000 L | €1.535 | €4,605 | −€1,535 |
Read the table from top to bottom: the amount rises with the volume up to 2,000 litres, where the price per litre switches band. Just below the threshold the gap to a 2,000-litre delivery shrinks, then turns negative: at around 1,946 litres the big order costs the same as the small one, and above that it costs less while bringing more oil.
How the tool works it out
The tool takes the two maximum prices of the day published by Statbel in the be.STAT series of the official tariff. It prices your order in the band that applies, then the same order topped up to 2,000 litres in the upper band. The difference is the extra cost; divided by the number of added litres, it gives the real price of each extra litre. Today that extra litre costs you €1.406, against €1.578 for a litre in the lower band: the added litres benefit from the discount applied to the whole order.
The break-even volume is simple: 2,000 litres times the upper-band price, divided by the lower-band price. If you planned to order more than that, going to 2,000 litres costs less in total. Below it, the big order costs more, but each added litre is still cheaper than the day’s price.
What the calculation leaves out
The calculation starts from the maximum price. A dealer may charge less, and their discounts do not always keep the same gap between bands: compare the two real quotes before deciding. Nor does it account for the room in your tank, which remains the real limit, or for your cash flow: paying a few hundred euros ahead for oil you will burn next winter only makes sense if the outlay is affordable. The heating oil budget helps place the order within the year.
The maximum price also changes often. The same calculation tomorrow may give a different extra cost; the heating oil price for tomorrow shows whether a new tariff is already out. The guide on when to order heating oil looks at what the history says about order timing.
One last pointer: the Social Heating Fund’s page on official prices notes that the maximum price also covers the pump price, for people who buy heating oil in cans. That price is higher than both delivery bands and plays no part in the 2,000-litre threshold.
| Product | 31 October 2026 | 1 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Heating oil, under 2,000 litres | €1.578 | €1.578 = |
| Heating oil, 2,000 litres or more | €1.535 | €1.535 = |
| Heating oil at the pump | €1.689 | €1.689 = |
Maximum prices including VAT, in euros per litre, official tariff published by Statbel (be.STAT). “est.”: the next day’s tariff is not published yet, the value is an estimate.