If you have a tank with old stored dyed red diesel fuel in it, you can assume it has a higher than ultra-low sulfur content.
So today’s off-road diesel being delivered is ultra-low sulfur. In recent years, EPA standards require off-road construction and agricultural equipment to have an emissions system that allow ultra-low sulfur to operate without major problems. There has been a consistent push to reduce sulfur in all fuels in the United States as led by EPA regulation. Off-road and dyed diesel fuels can be ultra-low sulfur but are not guaranteed to be. Is off-road diesel or dyed diesel ultra-low sulfur diesel? High sulfur diesel is defined as diesel fuel with over 500 parts per million of sulfur content. Is off-road diesel or dyed diesel high sulfur diesel?ĭyed diesel (or off-road diesel) can be high sulfur fuel. That classifies it as a Class II combustible. Diesel’s flash point is between 126 and 205 degrees F (typically assumed to be about 160 degrees F). A flammable fuel is one with a flash point below 100 degrees F. Off-road diesel is classified as a Class II combustible liquid by the National Fire Code. In Oregon, with proper paperwork, some off-road uses can buy on-road fuel with the Oregon state tax exemption. Off-road diesel is diesel fuel dyed red to show it is untaxed and available only for off-road fuel uses such as construction fueling, equipment never used on a public road, agricultural use, heating oil, boiler fuel, and other non-taxed diesel fuel uses under state and Federal fuel tax law. Off-road diesel has a red dye to denote it has not paid road taxes as required by all states and the Federal government. On-road diesel in the United States usually has a light green tint to it. Why is diesel dyed?ĭiesel is dyed in order to denote if it has paid road tax or not. Solvent Red 26 and Solvent Red 164 are the allowed dyes prescribed by the United States Internal Revenue Service for marking diesel as for un-taxed off-road use only. What is the red dye used to turn off-road diesel red? Off road diesels are dyed red to denote that the fuel is untaxed and is for use in off-road purposes only. This is a dye added by either the refiner or terminal provider with the fuel. On-road diesel usually has a slight green tint to it. What color is dyed diesel?Īll diesel sold in the United States typically has some dye in it. for trucks over 26,000 GVW pay a weight mile tax instead of a per gallon state road tax, some farms will track their use of clear diesel so they can file for Federal road taxes on off-road usage. Often it is dyed red to denote it is tax free. Farms are allowed to receive clear diesel without road taxes charged on it in Oregon. If diesel is burned on a farm and can be tracked for such, taxes can be avoided. Agricultural use fuel is a tax-exempt use of diesel fuel. What is farm diesel?įarm or diesel for agricultural use is off-road diesel that is not charged on-road fuel taxes. Off-road diesel is normally used for heating oil, construction fueling, agricultural use, and other off-road equipment not used on the highway system where fuel taxes would be required by law. Typically when talking about dyed diesel, we’re referring to a red dye added to off-road diesel.
Part of a visual observation to inspect diesel fuel quality is to check the fuel for a “bright” appearance with the slight green dye being a giveaway that the diesel is fresh and in good condition. As fuel ages this dye fades to yellow or darker colors. Refineries place a green dye into diesel fuel which is obvious if fuel is freshly dispensed into a bottle to observe its color. On-road diesel is clear or slightly green. They do this by using a black light to spot any residual presence of dye in the fuel as well as at key places in the engine compartment. Tax authorities can and do check for vehicles using off-road red diesel in on-road vehicles. This dye takes a great deal of clear fuel to dilute so it makes it very obvious if an on-road vehicle has been using off-road untaxed fuel. The dye marks this as fuel for off-road equipment and vehicles and as such it doesn’t have road fuel taxes included in the price. Red Diesel is Off-road diesel, in the United States this fuel is denoted with a red dye. FebruBy Mark Blog, Bulk Fuel, Construction Fuel, Diesel Fuel Quality, Heating Oil, Uncategorized Got questions about Red Dyed Diesel? We have answers! (If you do not see the answer you need, message or call Star Oilco.