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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteU.S. renewable diesel plants used more soybean oil in the years after 2022, but the increase was uneven. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports monthly inputs in million pounds: the series rose from 248 million pounds in January 2022 to 352 million in December 2022, then reached 689 million in June 2024. Its latest displayed observation is 871 million pounds in July 2026. That last figure is one month of use, not an annual total or a forecast.
What the soybean oil figures measure
EIA’s monthly series measures soybean oil input at U.S. renewable diesel plants, in million pounds. It is direct evidence of one feedstock’s use in that fuel pathway; it does not measure all soybean oil used for biofuels or all renewable diesel production. See EIA’s renewable diesel feedstock data.
The rise was not a smooth month-by-month climb. In 2023, monthly inputs ranged from 348 million pounds in April to 594 million in July. In 2024, they ranged from 367 million in February to 689 million in June. After the June peak, the figure fell to 403 million in September and ended the year at 469 million. Adding the 12 published 2024 monthly observations gives 5,921 million pounds; this is a calculation from those observations, not an annual total explicitly reported by EIA.
EIA’s series displays monthly values through December 2025, but the available evidence does not establish a finalized annual comparison or the revision status of those observations. For 2026, 871 million pounds in July is the latest displayed monthly value; it should not be treated as a full-year result.
Renewable diesel inputs are not biodiesel inputs
Renewable diesel and biodiesel are distinct fuel pathways, and EIA reports soybean oil inputs to their plants separately. A number from the biodiesel series cannot stand in for renewable diesel use. Nor should the two series be combined and described as renewable-diesel-only consumption.
EIA also publishes an aggregate soybean oil feedstock series for all biofuels. Because it includes multiple fuel categories, it answers a broader question than how much soybean oil renewable diesel plants use. Use the plant-type-specific series when discussing renewable diesel feedstock demand.
Why soybean oil can be used to make renewable diesel
Renewable diesel can be produced from a range of biomass feedstocks, including feedstocks also used to make biodiesel. EIA describes processes such as hydrotreating, gasification and pyrolysis. Soybean oil is one possible input, not a required ingredient. The route and feedstock matter when interpreting plant-input statistics: a rise in soybean oil use does not mean every renewable diesel plant relies on it.
EIA’s renewable diesel explainer, last updated February 26, 2024, discusses the fuel and its production pathways.
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Feedstock demand, production and capacity tell different stories
Feedstock input is not the same measure as fuel output or plant capacity. Inputs show material consumed by plants; production measures fuel made over a period; capacity describes potential output under a separate definition. These figures can move differently as plant utilization and market conditions change.
- Production: EIA reported average U.S. renewable diesel production of about 170,000 barrels per day in the first quarter of 2025, 12% below the first quarter of 2024. Its June 4, 2025 analysis cited poor profitability and uncertainty about federal biofuel tax-credit guidance at that time as conditions contributing to weaker output. That is historical context, not a statement of current 2026 tax policy.
- Capacity: EIA’s snapshot as of January 1, 2025 listed 4,719 million gallons per year across 19 plants in a category covering renewable diesel, renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel, renewable naphtha and gasoline, other biofuels, and biointermediates. It excludes ethanol and biodiesel and includes refineries that co-process renewable feedstock with petroleum. The figure is not renewable-diesel-only capacity.
- Capacity additions: EIA reported that the broader renewable diesel and other biofuels category added 391 million gallons per year of capacity during 2024—less than one-third of its growth in 2022 and 2023. A slowdown in additions does not by itself mean existing capacity or fuel production declined.
These distinctions help explain why increased soybean oil inputs over several years need not coincide with steadily rising production or capacity. The measures describe different parts of the fuel supply chain.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the trend does—and does not—establish
The evidence supports a multi-year increase in soybean oil inputs at U.S. renewable diesel plants, alongside substantial monthly variation. It does not establish a global trend, prove that soybean oil is the only or dominant feedstock, or show why its use changed in any particular month. The figures also do not establish comparative lifecycle emissions, commodity-price effects or competition with other soybean oil uses.
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