How to buy HVO100 renewable diesel

HVO100 is neat hydrotreated vegetable oil: a paraffinic renewable diesel made by hydrotreating vegetable oils, used cooking oil or animal fats and sold against EN 15940, the European standard for paraffinic diesel. The 100 means neat fuel rather than a blend. Chemically it is a hydrocarbon without oxygen, which is why it handles like fossil diesel and not like FAME biodiesel.

In European trade, yes: HVO, hydrotreated vegetable oil and renewable diesel describe the same kind of paraffinic product, and HVO100 is the neat version. What differs between parcels is the class under EN 15940, the cold-flow grade and the feedstock, and those are what to compare, not the name.

XTL is the European fuel identifier for synthetic and paraffinic diesel not derived from crude oil, shown in a square like the other diesel labels, where the B labels such as B7 mark biodiesel content. HVO100 is sold under it. New vehicles placed on the market since 12 October 2018 carry the labels of the fuels they accept, and in Germany paraffinic diesel to EN 15940 may be sold at public filling stations since 29 May 2024.

Class A requires a cetane number of at least 70.0 and class B at least 51.0, and the density bands differ: 765.0 to 800.0 kg/m3 for class A and 780.0 to 810.0 kg/m3 for class B under EN 15940:2023. If a vehicle approval, a tender or a fuel clause names class A, a class B certificate will not do.

Only where the engine or vehicle manufacturer approves paraffinic diesel to EN 15940 for that engine; the standard itself points users to the manufacturer's fuel approval. Ask for the manufacturer's written position for your engine family and check what it means for the warranty before you switch a fleet.

Yes. Both are hydrocarbon diesel fuels, and blending HVO into the diesel pool is how most European HVO is used. The mixture is then no longer HVO100: it no longer carries a neat EN 15940 certificate, and any emissions claim has to rest on the renewable share actually delivered.

It is handled as a hydrocarbon diesel fuel, so the question is less the tank than its history. A tank that recently held FAME or B100 puts ester and water into the next delivery, so empty, clean and drain it first and keep the records that show it.

Longer than FAME, because there is no ester group to oxidise and it does not pick up water in the same way. Suppliers quote storage lives in years rather than months; treat those as supplier claims with conditions attached, keep the tank dry, and retest before use after long storage.

The grade that matches the coldest conditions of use in the month of delivery, stated as CFPP and cloud point in the contract. EN 15940 leaves the climate classes to the national annex, HVO is produced in summer and winter grades, and a lower CFPP costs the producer yield, so ask for what you need rather than for the lowest figure on offer.

Renewable diesel producers, oil majors and their trading arms, independent traders, and fuel distributors that resell to fleets and stations. Which fits depends on your volume: producers and traders work in full truckloads and larger parcels, distributors in smaller and more frequent deliveries. We match an enquiry to the producers and traders in our network that serve that volume and destination.

Bulk deliveries within Europe are sized by the road tanker, 25 to 30 tonnes. For export, producers commonly set minimum quantities in the order of 200 tonnes. Smaller quantities are possible in IBCs or drums, at a considerable premium per litre.

Yes. A single road tanker is the natural trial for a fleet in Europe, and smaller quantities can be arranged in IBCs. The price of a trial says little about the price of a contracted monthly volume, so ask for both figures at the same time.

The fuel is rarely the slow part. Before a first delivery the supplier completes its counterparty checks, a contract is agreed, and logistics, excise and sustainability paperwork are settled. A complete enquiry and a ready document pack are what shorten that; gaps are what stall it.

Volume per delivery and per month, delivery point and Incoterm, the delivery window, EN 15940 class and cold-flow grade, whether you need a proof of sustainability and with which minimum greenhouse gas saving, your company registration and VAT number, the end use and the payment instrument. The checklist on this page sets it out line by line.

Because a firm price is a commitment, and suppliers screen a counterparty before they commit: registration, ownership, sanctions and, for sustainable fuel, the chain of custody. It also filters out chains of intermediaries circulating offers without a buyer behind them. See KYC and counterparty checks.

No. If you already know producers or traders who sell to your volume and destination, buy direct. A broker earns a place where you do not have those relationships, where an offer needs checking against its certificate and specification before you commit, or where a producer only deals through intermediaries it knows.

We are paid a brokerage commission on concluded business, agreed in advance and carried by one named side. We never take title to the fuel, so the price and the contract are between buyer and supplier and we have no position in the cargo to defend.

No. We are brokers: we introduce buyer and seller and are not a party to the supply contract. What we do is find the producers or traders that fit your enquiry and check their offer against your specification and paperwork before you commit.

We do not publish prices, and a single number would mislead: the price moves with the market, the feedstock and certificate behind the fuel, the cold-flow grade, the volume, the delivery point and the duty status at destination. Send an enquiry with those lines and we give you a read on where comparable business is clearing.

Because wholesale renewable fuels are traded by mass, while fleets buy and use by volume. The conversion runs through the density on the certificate of analysis: at 780 kg/m3 one tonne is about 1,282 litres. Make sure a quote states its unit and, for volumes, the reference temperature.

Between about 1,235 and 1,307 litres, depending on density: EN 15940:2023 allows 765 to 800 kg/m3 for class A and 780 to 810 kg/m3 for class B. At 780 kg/m3 a tonne is about 1,282 litres. EN 590:2025 summer diesel runs from 815 to 845 kg/m3, so a tonne of HVO100 gives more litres than a tonne of ordinary summer diesel.

The product market, and on top of it what makes one parcel worth more than another: the feedstock and its Annex IX status, the greenhouse gas saving on the proof of sustainability, the cold-flow grade, freight and storage to your delivery point, duty and excise at destination, and the payment terms. Quotes that differ on any of those are not yet comparable.

Larger volumes normally are: rather than a flat figure, the contract refers to a published price assessment over a defined period, plus or minus an agreed differential. Buyers who trade on that basis hold their own subscription to the assessment, because the contract settles on it.

Because the proof of sustainability is what lets an obligated party count the fuel against its obligation, and that counting is worth money. Without it the same litres trade as conventional HVO with no compliance premium. See certified and non-certified.

Yes. Fuel from Annex IX Part B feedstocks such as used cooking oil and category 1 and 2 animal fat counts within the 1.7 % cap per member state, fuel from Part A feedstocks counts towards the advanced target, and crop-based fuel is a separate category again. The same EN 15940 litre can therefore be worth different money to different buyers.

What you need on every certified delivery is the proof of sustainability; under ISCC EU a sustainability declaration has to be in place for each batch that changes hands. Whether you need a certificate of your own depends on your role: if you trade the fuel onward with its sustainability claim, you have to be part of the certified chain of custody yourself, with your own certificate as a trader or through a certified counterpart. See ISCC certificate scope.

It is the sustainability declaration for a final fuel, issued by the certified supplier for one delivery. Under ISCC EU it states among other things the certificate number, the product, the raw material and its country of origin, the quantity and the greenhouse gas information, and for a final biofuel also when the producer started operation, the energy content and the saving. Traders further down the chain may not change those greenhouse gas values. See proof of sustainability.

The saving your own use requires, stated as the actual value on the proof of sustainability. The legal minimum under Article 29(10) of the Renewable Energy Directive depends on when the producing installation started operation: 50 % for installations in operation on or before 5 October 2015, 60 % for those starting between 6 October 2015 and 31 December 2020, and 65 % from 1 January 2021, against a fossil fuel comparator of 94 gCO2eq/MJ.

Because the Dutch obligation is now counted in emission reductions rather than in energy. One ERE stands for one kilogram of CO2eq reduction in the chain against the European fossil reference of 94 gCO2eq/MJ, and the new rules apply with retroactive effect from 1 January 2026. The value on the proof of sustainability therefore sets directly what a delivery is worth there. See ERE and the Dutch market.

Both are voluntary schemes recognised by the European Commission for renewable energy compliance, so both are valid evidence in principle. Whether a particular buyer accepts a particular scheme is a commercial question, so confirm it before you contract. See REDcert.

It is the EU system for tracing liquid and gaseous renewable fuels, set up under Article 31a of the Renewable Energy Directive and launched in November 2024. Member states must require the relevant economic operators to enter transaction and sustainability data from production to the point the fuel is placed on the EU market, while the Commission is still agreeing a timeline for full mandatory use. Ask your supplier how your delivery is recorded. See the Union Database.

Usually HVO made from Annex IX Part A feedstocks, which count towards the separate advanced biofuels target, as opposed to HVO from Part B feedstocks such as used cooking oil and animal fat. The word is used loosely, so ask which Annex IX part the feedstock falls under and check that the proof of sustainability says so.

Technically yes, which is exactly why the feedstock matters. Under EU rules high ILUC-risk palm oil is frozen at 2019 levels and phases down to zero by 2030, and since June 2026 Germany no longer lets biofuels from palm oil or palm residues such as POME, EFB and PFAD count towards its greenhouse gas quota. If palm is unacceptable to you, write that into the enquiry and check the feedstock on every proof of sustainability.

That depends on the reporting framework you use rather than on the fuel. What every framework needs is evidence tying the claim to the fuel you received: the greenhouse gas value from the proof of sustainability or a supplier declaration, delivery records and quantities. Agree in advance which documents you will receive for that purpose.

By road tanker to a depot, station or site tank within Europe, by barge or parcel tanker between terminals, and in ISO tank containers for export, with IBCs and drums for small quantities. The unit load follows the volume and the receiving tank, and it decides where quantity and quality are measured.

By road, yes: under ADR, diesel fuel and gas oil with a flash point up to 100 C, including synthetically manufactured products, are Class 3, UN 1202, packing group III, and HVO100 is carried under that entry. By sea the rules differ, so confirm the classification in section 14 of the safety data sheet for your parcel before transport is booked.

Yes. ISO tank containers carry 20 to 26 tonnes each and are a usual unit for exported HVO100. Ask for the cleaning certificate for the previous cargo, because a tank that last carried an ester or a chemical can put it into your fuel.

For road deliveries, delivered terms such as DAP to your tank, or FCA at a terminal where you collect; for sea cargoes, FOB and CIF. The term decides who arranges transport and where risk passes. It does not decide where quality is determined, which needs its own clause. See delivery terms.

The party the contract names, and usually the appointing party pays, often split. What matters more is that both sides accept the inspector before loading, that the sampling point is agreed, and that sealed retained samples are kept, so that a disagreement has a referee.

The contract decides: which sample is binding, which laboratory and method, and whether the remedy is a price adjustment or rejection. Agree that before loading. If a parcel does fail, move fast, because storage and demurrage keep running; see cargo claims and off-spec cargoes.

Yes. In the EU, gas oils and biodiesel intended as motor or heating fuel are energy products under Directive 2003/96/EC and subject to its control and movement provisions. Member states set the rates and may apply an exemption or a reduced rate to biofuels under Article 16, so ask for quotes that state whether excise is included and at which national rate.

A movement of excise goods before excise has been paid, from a tax warehouse to another tax warehouse or to a registered consignee, among other destinations. Under Directive (EU) 2020/262 it only counts as duty suspended under cover of an electronic administrative document in the EMCS system. A buyer without that excise status receives the fuel with excise paid.

Pure HVO with at most 0.001 % sulphur by weight and a bio-based carbon content of at least 80 % by weight (EN 16575) matches the gas oil line 2710 19 42 of the Combined Nomenclature 2026, a line the EU anti-dumping measure on biodiesel from China also lists. Confirm it for your product through your customs agent or a Binding Tariff Information. See CN codes and customs.

Yes. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/261 imposes definitive anti-dumping duties of 10.0 % to 35.6 % on biodiesel from China, and its product definition covers paraffinic gasoils from hydrotreatment of non-fossil origin as well as FAME, pure or in a blend. Sustainable aviation fuel meeting ASTM D7566 is excluded. Origin documents belong in the document set of every imported parcel.

Yes. The questions then move to the destination: whether local fuel rules admit paraffinic diesel for your use, which import licences and duties apply, and whether a proof of sustainability has any value there. Exported parcels normally travel in ISO tank containers or as bulk parcels.

Often not. An ISCC EU proof of sustainability earns its cost where a compliance scheme pays for it, essentially in the EU and the UK. Where no local rule or buyer recognises it, a certificate of analysis plus a supplier sustainability declaration can be the cheaper and sufficient route. Verify the local position before you make certification a requirement.

Cash against documents is common in this trade, a letter of credit adds a bank's undertaking, and on a first trade with a new counterparty prepayment is normal. Whatever the instrument, agree the document list before loading, because payment follows documents.

Yes, if the supplier accepts the issuing bank. A letter of credit only pays against documents that match it exactly, so agree the list before loading: typically the transport document, commercial invoice, certificate of analysis and, for sustainable fuel, the proof of sustainability.

At least the product and EN 15940 class, the cold-flow grade, quantity and tolerance, delivery term and place, delivery period, sampling point, inspector and binding laboratory result, the sustainability evidence and greenhouse gas value, price basis and payment terms, and what happens when a delivery is late or off specification.

Yes, and for a fleet that depends on the fuel it is usually the safer route: much European volume is contracted forward by parties covering obligations, so spot availability is thinner and more seasonal than production figures suggest. A term contract fixes volume and quality, with the price commonly set as a formula.

Watch for a chain of LOI, ICPO, FCO and non-circumvention agreements before any verifiable fact, a seller who will not name the producing plant or a certificate you can look up in the scheme's register, and requests for fees or bank instruments before a contract exists. See how to tell a real broker from an LOI carousel.

The certificate of analysis to EN 15940 from the agreed sampling point, the proof of sustainability if you bought certified fuel, the transport document, the safety data sheet and, for duty-suspended movements, the electronic administrative document. Imports add the customs and origin documents. The table on this page lists what to check on each.