Daily Basic Fuel Price

Official figures — September 2026. These are the confirmed prices published by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR), effective Wednesday, 2 September 2026. Petrol 93 and 95 both rose 134 c/l, diesel 500ppm rose 294 c/l, diesel 50ppm rose 315 c/l and illuminating paraffin rose 213 c/l. The previous official prices took effect on 5 August 2026.

The Daily Basic Fuel Price (BFP) is the fundamental benchmark used by the South African government to calculate monthly regulated fuel price adjustments. It reflects the simulated cost of importing refined petroleum products into South Africa from key international refining hubs, converted into South African cents per litre (c/l) using the daily exchange rate.

Daily Basic Fuel Price overview

The Central Energy Fund (CEF) calculates and publishes the daily BFP on behalf of the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR). Below is a sample daily indicator snapshot based on official published daily figures.

Data Snapshot Note: Daily BFP indicators reflect international product costs and daily exchange rates. They are not retail pump prices. Official regulated pump prices change on the first Wednesday of each month.

Latest BFP Indicator Snapshot

Product GradeDaily BFP (c/l)Estimated Equivalent (R/l)Base BFP in Pump Price (c/l)Daily Over / (Under) Recovery (c/l)
Petrol 95 ULP1,488.42R14.881,307.13(181.29)
Petrol 93 ULP1,470.60R14.711,291.13(179.47)
Diesel 0.05% (50ppm)1,954.24R19.541,470.63(483.61)
Diesel 0.005% (10ppm)1,982.29R19.821,509.03(473.26)
Illuminating Paraffin1,908.02R19.081,450.13(457.89)

Data effective date: 2 September 2026. Units rendered in South African cents per litre (c/l) and Rand per litre (R/l).

Coastal vs. Inland Context

The BFP formula is established at coastal port import points (Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, and East London). The final retail price paid by motorists inland (e.g., Gauteng) includes the BFP plus domestic transport costs (zone differentials), wholesale and retail margins, and statutory government levies such as the General Fuel Levy and Road Accident Fund (RAF) levy.

To view full pump pricing inclusive of domestic taxes, check petrol price today.

What the dataset includes

The Daily Basic Fuel Price dataset provides a granular view of international supply costs driving domestic fuel price trends.

Source methodology

The BFP calculation follows an import parity pricing model managed by the DMPR and calculated daily by the CEF:

Products covered

Download formats and field definitions

Commercial users, fleet operators, and analysts can utilize structured fuel price data to integrate market inputs directly into financial models or operational tools.

Download format

Data can be queried or exported in standard JSON and CSV tabular formats, ensuring seamless integration into analytics pipelines and software platforms.

Date range

Coverage includes daily business-day tracking across active price review cycles (from the 26th of the preceding month through the 25th of the current month), as well as multi-year historical archives.

Field definitions

Field NameData TypeDescription
dateISO Date (YYYY-MM-DD)Applicable calculation date.
product_codeStringFuel grade identifier (e.g., ULP95, ULP93, DSL50, DSL10, IP).
daily_bfp_cplFloatCalculated Basic Fuel Price for the day (c/l).
press_release_bfp_cplFloatBFP baseline currently embedded in the official monthly price schedule (c/l).
daily_over_under_cplFloatSingle-day over-recovery (positive) or under-recovery (negative) (c/l).
avg_bfp_cplFloatCumulative average BFP for the current monthly review cycle (c/l).
avg_over_under_cplFloatCumulative average unit over/(under) recovery driving the next price adjustment (c/l).
usd_zar_rateFloatDaily USD/ZAR 11:00 AM exchange rate used in conversion.

Historical coverage and update frequency

The daily BFP is updated on every South African business day, reflecting the previous international market trading session.

+------------------------+      +------------------------+      +------------------------+
| Daily BFP Calculation  | ---> | Monthly Cumulative Avg | ---> | DMPR Official Price    |
| (CEF Daily Indicators) |      | (Over/Under Recovery)  |      | (1st Wednesday Change) |
+------------------------+      +------------------------+      +------------------------+

Understanding Over- and Under-Recovery

Because retail pump prices remain fixed for an entire month, but international oil prices and exchange rates shift daily, a mismatch occurs:

To track whether upcoming changes signal an increase or drop at the pumps, explore fuel price going up or down and our forward-looking Fuel Price Forecast.

API overview & technical integration

For developers and enterprise logistics teams requiring structured access to South African fuel data, standardized daily data feeds provide real-time operational context.

Endpoints

Coverage

Full historical coverage across all regulated petrol, diesel, and paraffin grades in South Africa.

Sample API response

JSON

{
  "status": "success",
  "effective_date": "2026-07-22",
  "currency": "ZAR",
  "unit": "SA cents per litre",
  "usd_zar_exchange_rate": 16.4565,
  "data": {
    "petrol_95_ulp": {
      "daily_bfp_cpl": 1488.420,
      "base_bfp_cpl": 1307.130,
      "daily_recovery_cpl": -181.290,
      "cumulative_avg_recovery_cpl": 53.982
    },
    "diesel_50ppm": {
      "daily_bfp_cpl": 1954.236,
      "base_bfp_cpl": 1470.630,
      "daily_recovery_cpl": -483.606,
      "cumulative_avg_recovery_cpl": -87.094
    }
  }
}

Update schedule

Data feeds update daily following the release of official CEF indicators on South African working days.

Primary use cases

Access & Documentation: Commercial users requiring raw data access or technical integration guidance can submit an enquiry through our portal.

How to use the data

Understanding the Daily Basic Fuel Price helps businesses transition from reactive budget adjustments to proactive financial management.

  1. Differentiate BFP from Pump Prices: Remember that BFP constitutes roughly 45–55% of the final pump price. Always factor in fixed levies, storage, distribution, and retail margins when calculating full operational expenses.
  2. Calculate Fleet Operating Costs: If you want to translate fuel price trends directly into fleet budget estimates, use our calculate fuel cost tool.
  3. Analyze Regulatory Changes: Review historical datasets alongside official announcements to understand how international product shifts versus currency fluctuations impact domestic energy costs.

Related API, history and forecast pages

To navigate related datasets, context guides, and forecasting tools, use the hub links below:

Frequently asked questions

What should users expect from the Daily Basic Fuel Price page?

This page provides structured context, source explanations, field definitions, and tracking tools for South Africa’s daily BFP indicators. It helps developers, fleet managers, and analysts monitor daily market shifts prior to official monthly pump adjustments.

Which sources should the page reference?

Primary data relies on daily indicator schedules published by the Central Energy Fund (CEF) and monthly regulated price adjustments published by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR). Official policy updates are cross-referenced with official South African Government statements.

Who is this page for?

This resource is designed for software developers, financial analysts, fleet managers, publishers, and enterprise logistics teams who require reliable, structured context around South African fuel price calculations.

What is the next action for commercial users?

Commercial users requiring raw data downloads, historical bulk data exports, or programmatic access feeds should submit an enquiry or review our technical documentation links.