{"id":"F2024L00475","name":"Fuel Quality Standards (Petrol) Determination 2024","slug":"fuel-quality-standards-petrol-determination-2024","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442366,"registerId":"F2024L00475-fast-fetch-1775957391618","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Fuel Quality Standards (Petrol) Determination 2024","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n\n\n \n\nFuel Quality Standards (Petrol) Determination 2024\n\nI, Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, make the following determination.\n\nDated: 12 April 2024 \n\nChris Bowen\n\nMinister for Climate Change and Energy\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Definitions\n\n5 Fuel standard for petrol\n\n6 Fuel standard for ethanol\n\n1 Name\n\n This instrument is the Fuel Quality Standards (Petrol) Determination 2024.\n\n2 Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument The day after this instrument is registered.\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3 Authority\n\n This instrument is made under section 21 of the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000.\n\n4 Definitions\n\nNote: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in section 4 of the Act, including the following:\n\n(a) fuel\n\n(b) supply\n\n In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000.\n\nASTM followed by an alphanumeric code means the testing method developed under that code by the standards development organisation called ASTM International.\n\nCAS no., for a parameter, means the Chemical Abstracts Service Registry number for the parameter.\n\npetrol does not include aviation gasoline (avgas) supplied for use in aircraft.\n\npool average for aromatic content, means the average amount of aromatics in all batches of petrol across all grades manufactured in Australia, or imported, by a supplier in each 12 months starting on 1 January.\n\nmg/kg means milligrams per kilogram, and is equivalent to ‘parts per million’ or ‘ppm’ by mass.\n\n% v/v means per cent volume by volume and is equivalent to ‘volume %’, ‘vol %’ and ‘% vol’.\n\n% m/m means per cent mass by mass, and is equivalent to ‘mass %’, ‘% mass’ and ‘weight %’.\n\n5 Fuel standard for petrol\n\n (1) In relation to a parameter specified in column 1 of an item of the following table, petrol must comply with the specification for that parameter specified in column 2 of that item.\n\n (2) For subsection (1), compliance with the specification for a parameter is determined by using the testing method for that parameter specified in column 3 of that item of the table.\n\n \n\n- Item Column 1Parameter Column 2Specification Column 3Testing Method\n- 1 Aromatics Between the date this instrument commences and 14 December 2025: All grades:45% v/v maximum with a 35% v/v maximum pool average. ASTM D1319\n- After 14 December 2025: Petrol with RON grade between 95.0 and 97.9:35% v/v maximum All other grades:45% v/v maximum All grades:35% v/v maximum pool average\n- 2 Benzene 1.0% v/v maximum ASTM D5580\n- 3 Copper corrosion—3 h at 50°C Class 1 ASTM D130\n- 4 Diisopropyl ether (DIPE, CAS no. 108‑20‑3) 1% v/v maximum ASTM D4815\n- 5 Distillation—final boiling point 210°C maximum ASTM D86\n- 6 Ethanol 10% v/v maximum ASTM D4815\n- 7 Ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE, CAS no. 637‑92‑3) 1% v/v maximum ASTM D4815\n- 8 Existent gum—washed 5 mg/100 mL maximum ASTM D381\n- 9 Induction period—oxidation stability 360 minutes minimum ASTM D525\n- 10 Lead 5 mg/L maximum ASTM D3237\n- 11 Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE, CAS no. 1634-04-4) 1% v/v maximum ASTM D4815\n- 12 Motor octane number (MON) 91 RON grade:81.0 minimum95 RON grade:85.0 minimum ASTM D2700\n- 13 Olefins 18% v/v maximum ASTM D1319\n- 14 Oxygen Petrol without ethanol:2.7% m/m maximumPetrol with ethanol:3.9% m/m maximum ASTM D4815\n- 15 Phosphorus 1.3 mg/L maximum ASTM D3231\n- 16 Research octane number (RON) 91 RON grade:91.0 minimum95 RON grade:95.0 minimum ASTM D2699\n- 17 Sulfur Between the date this instrument commences and 14 December 2025: 91 RON grade:150 mg/kg maximum95 RON grade:50 mg/kg maximum ASTM D5453\n- After 14 December 2025: All grades:10 mg/kg maximum\n- 18 Tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA, CAS no. 75‑65‑0) 0.5% v/v maximum ASTM D4815\n\n\n (3) Specifications set out in the table apply to all grades of petrol unless otherwise stated.\n\n (4) Any ethanol component of petrol must comply with the fuel standard for ethanol in section 6.\n\n (5) Compounds containing phosphorus must not be added to petrol.\n\n6 Fuel standard for ethanol\n\n (1) In relation to a parameter mentioned column 1 of an item of the following table, ethanol in petrol must comply with the specification for that parameter specified in column 2 of that item.\n\n (2) For subsection (1), compliance with the specification for a parameter is determined by using the testing method for that parameter specified in column 3 of that item of the table.\n\n \n\n|
Item | Column 1
Parameter | Column 2
Specification | Column 3
Testing Method |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 1 | Acidity—as acetic acid | 0.006% m/m maximum | ASTM D7795 |\n| 2 | Appearance | Clear and bright and visibly free of suspended or precipitated contaminants | ASTM D4806 |\n| 3 | Copper | 0.1 mg/kg maximum | EN 15837 (as modified in CEN/TS 15293) |\n| 4 | Denaturant | 1–1.5% v/v denaturant | ASTM D5501 |\n| 5 | Ethanol | 95.6% v/v minimum | ASTM D5501 |\n| 6 | Inorganic chloride | 10 mg/kg maximum | ASTM D7328 |\n| 7 | Methanol | 0.5% v/v maximum | ASTM D5501 |\n| 8 | pHe | 6.5–9.0 | ASTM D6423 |\n| 9 | Solvent washed gum | 5.0 mg/100 mL maximum | ASTM D381 |\n| 10 | Sulfate | 4.0 mg/kg maximum | ASTM D7328 |\n| 11 | Sulfur | 10 mg/kg maximum | ASTM D5453 |\n| 12 | Water | 1.25% m/m maximum | ASTM E1064 |\n\n\n (3) The denaturant component of ethanol must be petrol.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument specifies detailed numeric standards, testing methods and timing that formalise and tighten regulated petrol and ethanol quality obligations under the Act. It imposes per-grade limits, a supplier-level pool-average aromatic cap, explicit ethanol specifications, a prohibition on added phosphorus and phased reductions in sulfur and aromatics effective 14 December 2025, thereby altering supplier duties and compliance obligations that flow from the Act (see s3, s4, s5, s6)."},"complexity_factors":["Technical coverage across many chemical and performance parameters for petrol (18 parameters) and ethanol (12 parameters) with numerical limits (s5 table; s6 table).","Phased changes and date triggers: transitional limits in force until 14 December 2025, then stricter limits (aromatics and sulfur) (s5 table items 1,17).","Different requirements by RON grade (separate RON and MON minima; aromatics and sulfur vary by grade) (s5 table items 1,12,16,17).","Pool-average obligation for aromatic content requires annual aggregation across a supplier's grades and batches (definition and s5(1) table item 1).","Multiple external testing standards referenced (ASTM, EN) so compliance depends on specified laboratory methods (s5(2); s6(2)).","Cross-references and reliance on the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 for authority and undefined terms (s3; s4 note).","Specific compositional prohibitions and blend constraints (e.g. phosphorus prohibition, ethanol max 10% v/v, denaturant must be petrol) that constrain supplier sourcing and formulation (s5(4)-(5); s6(3); s5 table items 6,5).","Operational compliance burdens: per-batch testing, recordkeeping to demonstrate pool averages, and potential supply-chain adjustments to meet limits (s5(2); pool average definition).","Precision in units and thresholds (mg/kg, % v/v, % m/m) increases measurement and reporting complexity (definitions; s5/s6 tables).","Exclusion of aviation gasoline from definition of petrol affects scope of regulated fuels (s4 definition)."],"plain_english_summary":"Sets mandatory chemical and performance limits and required test methods for petrol and for ethanol used in petrol (see s5–s6). It affects petrol suppliers, refiners and importers by imposing per-grade caps, a pool-average aromatic limit, ethanol quality and blend limits, phased tighter sulfur and aromatic limits after 14 December 2025, and a ban on added phosphorus. Suppliers bear testing and blending costs; regulators check compliance under the Act (s3)."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Determination operates within the established scope of the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000. It replaces previous petrol determinations (likely the 2001 version as amended) but does not expand beyond the Act's original purpose of setting fuel quality parameters. The phased implementation of stricter aromatics and sulfur limits represents a policy evolution within the existing framework, not a scope expansion."},"complexity_factors":["Short instrument: only 6 operative sections plus standard machinery provisions","Straightforward tabular format for technical specifications — 18 parameters for petrol, 12 for ethanol","Limited conditional logic: only two parameters (aromatics and sulfur) have phased implementation dates (pre- and post-15 December 2025)","Minimal cross-referencing: only references to the parent Act (Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000) for definitions, plus standard testing method citations (ASTM standards)","Clear structure: definitions section, petrol standard, ethanol standard — no nested exceptions or complex deeming provisions","Technical but not legally complex: the complexity lies in the chemistry/engineering, not the legislative drafting"],"plain_english_summary":"This Determination sets legally enforceable limits on what petrol sold in Australia can contain — tightening sulphur to 10 mg/kg and lowering aromatics in premium petrol from Dec 15, 2025 — plus strict caps on benzene, lead and other additives, and rules for up to 10% ethanol blends meeting quality standards. \n\nIt affects refiners, importers and retailers who must ensure and certify compliance, and benefits vehicle owners and public health by reducing toxic emissions and aligning fuel quality with international standards."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/fuel-quality-standards-petrol-determination-2024","history":"/api/acts/fuel-quality-standards-petrol-determination-2024/history","analysis":"/api/acts/fuel-quality-standards-petrol-determination-2024/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/fuel-quality-standards-petrol-determination-2024/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/fuel-quality-standards-petrol-determination-2024/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/fuel-quality-standards-petrol-determination-2024/documents"}}