The maximum price of heating oil, explained
A legal cap, published for every day: what it covers, what it leaves out and how to hold it against a quote.
The maximum price of heating oil (mazout, as it is called in Belgium) is the highest price a seller may charge for a litre of heating gasoil, VAT included. The FPS Economy, Belgium’s federal economy ministry, sets it under the programme contract between the Belgian State and Energia, the petroleum sector federation, and selling above it is forbidden. The official tariff for 31 October 2026 gives three prices: €1.578 a litre delivered in quantities under 2,000 litres, €1.535 from 2,000 litres and €1.689 at the pump. What you actually pay may be lower, never higher. Since 1 April 2024 the former 50S heating gasoil has gone, and the tariff covers the H0 and H7 grades. The 21 % VAT is inside the cap: in the latest published tariff it accounts for €0.274 a litre. Over the last 365 days the maximum under 2,000 litres has ranged from €0.747 on 9 January 2026 to €1.650 on 28 October 2026.
Is your quote below the maximum price?
Below the maximum by
€72.00
| Maximum price on 31 October 2026 | €1.578/L |
| Your price | €1.530/L |
| Difference per litre | 4.8 c |
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Who sets the maximum price, and on what basis
Heating oil is not freely priced in Belgium; it is capped. The FPS Economy publishes the official tariff of petroleum products under the programme contract between the Belgian State and Energia, the federation representing the oil sector. The Social Heating Fund sums it up in a sentence: selling above the maximum price is forbidden. How the mechanism works, and why nobody can recompute tomorrow’s tariff in advance, is covered in the guide to the programme contract.
This site is not the FPS Economy, nor Statbel, nor the Fund. It reads the series published on be.STAT and lays it out; if in doubt, the official publication prevails.
The three heating oil prices in the tariff
The tariff does not give one price for heating oil but three. Two apply to tank deliveries and depend on the volume delivered: under 2,000 litres, or 2,000 litres and more. The third applies to heating oil bought at the pump in small quantities.
| Tariff line | Maximum price on 31 October 2026 | Gap with the lower band |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered, under 2,000 litres | €1.578 | – |
| Delivered, 2,000 litres or more | €1.535 | −4.3 c |
| At the pump | €1.689 | +11.1 c |
The gap between the two delivery bands is 4.3 c a litre today. On 1,500 litres that comes to €65: this is the question taken up on the heating oil 2,000 litres page, which works out from what volume moving up to the higher band pays. The table below shows today and tomorrow for the three lines and refreshes with each publication.
| 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.
Price paid and maximum price are not the same thing
The maximum price is a ceiling, not a recommended price. A dealer may quote less, for instance on a large order or to stand out from a competitor. What a dealer may not do is exceed the day’s cap, VAT included. The small calculator at the top of this page sets your quote against today’s maximum: if it is below, the gap is your discount; if it is above, the invoice is not compliant.
Two traps come up in quotes. The first is the band: a quote for 1,800 litres must be compared with the under-2,000 price, not with the lower price of the upper band. The second is the date: the tariff changes often, sometimes several days running, so a quote accepted on a Tuesday may meet a different cap on delivery day. For the comparison, take the tariff for the day shown on the delivery note or invoice; if the date used is unclear, ask the seller before paying.
H0, H7 and the former 50S
Until 31 March 2024 the official tariff covered 50S heating gasoil, under that name. The Social Heating Fund states that 50S disappeared on 1 April 2024 and was replaced by H0 and H7. In the be.STAT series the product has since been called “heating gasoil (H0/H7)”, with one line per band. Comparisons with prices from before April 2024 remain possible, but they set two products side by side that were not quite the same.
VAT is already inside the cap
The maximum price is quoted including VAT at 21 %. In the latest published tariff, for 3 November 2026, a litre delivered under 2,000 litres costs €1.304 excluding VAT and €1.578 including it: the tax accounts for €0.274 a litre. A quote given excluding VAT must therefore be raised by 21 % before it is compared with the cap. Households do not reclaim this VAT; it is part of the price they pay.
Checking an invoice in four steps
- Find the volume delivered and the delivery date on the invoice.
- Pick the matching tariff line: under 2,000 litres, or 2,000 litres and more.
- Read that day’s maximum on the heating oil price history page or directly on be.STAT.
- Compare it with the unit price including VAT on the invoice, and multiply the gap by the volume to see the amount at stake.
The cap is also a useful yardstick before ordering: tomorrow’s maximum price appears as soon as it is published, and until then an estimate, labelled as such, takes its place.
What the maximum price does not tell you
The cap says nothing about service quality, delivery times or the price any one dealer charges. Nor does it take support into account: households that qualify can receive an allowance from the Social Heating Fund, worked out on the invoiced price, through their CPAS/OCMW, the municipal social welfare centre; the heating allowance page does the sum. Lastly, the maximum price follows international quotations for petroleum products: it rises and falls with them, and the Chamber of Representatives showed in its March 2026 bill how far it can move within a few weeks.