一般来说，汽车和铁路柴油来自炼油厂产品，通常被称为中间馏分。中间馏分油指的是比汽油具有更高沸点的产品，这些产品是从原油的分馏或其他精炼过程的流中获得的。成品柴油代表中间馏分的混合物。商业馏出柴油燃料的性质取决于所采用的炼油厂做法以及从中提取的原油的性质。因此，它们可能与制造它们的地区不同，也可能与制造它们的地区不同。这类燃料的沸点一般在163至371°C（325至700°F）之间。它们的组成可以代表挥发性、点火质量、粘度、硫含量、重力和其他特征的各种组合。添加剂可用于赋予成品柴油特殊性能。

Automotive and railroad diesel fuels, in general, are derived from petroleum refinery products which are commonly referred to as middle distillates. Middle distillates represent products which have a higher boiling range than gasoline and are obtained from fractional distillation of the crude oil or from streams from other refining processes. Finished diesel fuels represent blends of middle distillates.The properties of commercial distillate diesel fuels depend on the refinery practices employed and the nature of the crude oils from which they are derived. Thus, they may differ both with and within the region in which they are manufactured. Such fuels generally boil over a range between 163 and 371 °C (325 to 700 °F). Their makeup can represent various combinations of volatility, ignition quality, viscosity, sulfur level, gravity, and other characteristics. Additives may be used to impart special properties to the finished diesel fuel.