Ethanol Markets Dashboard
Live market context for ethanol buyers: corn futures, gasoline, natural gas, and sugar — the inputs and competing products that drive U.S. ethanol prices. Prices update daily at market close. For a firm, current quote on Pristine ultrapure ethanol, contact our team directly.
Daily Closing Prices — Ethanol Market Drivers
Settlement prices for the futures markets that drive U.S. ethanol economics, updated daily at market close.
What Is the Ethanol Spot Price?
The U.S. ethanol spot price is the cash price for fuel-grade ethanol delivered at major trading hubs. The primary benchmark is Chicago (Argo), with additional benchmarks at New York Harbor, the U.S. Gulf, and major rack markets. Spot prices are assessed daily by services such as Platts and OPIS, and CME lists Chicago Ethanol (Platts) futures settled against those assessments. Because these assessments are proprietary, exact daily spot quotes are available by subscription — but ethanol tracks its drivers closely: corn (feedstock cost), RBOB gasoline (blending demand), and natural gas (plant energy cost), all tracked in the daily table above.
How Ethanol Prices Are Set
🌽 Corn — the Feedstock
One bushel of corn yields roughly 2.8–2.9 gallons of ethanol plus distillers grains (DDGS) and corn oil. Corn is the largest single cost in dry-mill ethanol production, so CBOT corn futures set the floor of the market.
⛽ Gasoline — the Demand Side
Most U.S. fuel ethanol is blended into gasoline (E10/E15/E85), so RBOB prices and blending economics pull ethanol demand up or down. When ethanol trades at a discount to RBOB, blenders buy aggressively.
🔥 Natural Gas — the Energy Input
Ethanol plants run on natural gas for cooking, distillation, and drying. Gas rallies compress producer margins and eventually push ethanol offers higher.
📊 The Crush Spread
Producer profitability is tracked by the corn crush: ethanol revenue per bushel (gallons × price, plus DDGS and corn oil credits) minus the cost of corn. Wide crush margins bring more supply online; negative margins idle plants and tighten the market.
Why This Matters for Ethanol Buyers
If you purchase bulk 190 or 200 proof ethanol for beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, or industrial use, industrial alcohol prices ride on the same fundamentals as fuel ethanol: corn cost, energy cost, and freight. Watching corn futures and the fuel complex tells you which way contract pricing is likely to move. Pristine Alcohol sources 100% Michigan corn and produces on-site in Marysville, Michigan — ask us about contract pricing that locks in your supply ahead of market moves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current price of ethanol?
U.S. fuel ethanol spot prices are assessed daily at hubs like Chicago (Argo) by Platts and OPIS and typically trade in relation to corn costs and gasoline prices. Exact daily assessments are subscription data; the daily corn, gasoline, and natural gas closes on this page track the inputs that drive ethanol pricing. For a firm quote on high-purity industrial or beverage ethanol, contact Pristine Alcohol directly.
What drives ethanol prices up or down?
The three biggest drivers are corn futures (feedstock cost), gasoline prices (blending demand), and natural gas (production energy cost). Policy factors like the Renewable Fuel Standard, RIN credits, and export demand also move the market.
How many gallons of ethanol come from a bushel of corn?
A bushel of corn produces roughly 2.8 to 2.9 gallons of ethanol, plus about 15-17 pounds of distillers grains (DDGS) and corn oil as co-products.
Is industrial ethanol priced the same as fuel ethanol?
No. Fuel ethanol is the commodity benchmark, but high-purity industrial, beverage, and USP-grade ethanol command premiums for purity, consistency, documentation, and denaturing. They do, however, move directionally with the same corn and energy fundamentals.
Where can I get a bulk ethanol quote?
Request a quote from Pristine Alcohol for bulk 190 proof, 192 proof beverage grade, denatured, or upcoming 200 proof anhydrous ethanol, produced in Marysville, Michigan from 100% Michigan corn.
Daily settlement data may be delayed and is shown for market context only; not an offer to sell or a price quotation for Pristine Alcohol products. Ethanol spot assessments (Platts, OPIS) are proprietary subscription data.