India's 100 million barrel crude stocks could cover 40-45 days if Strait of Hormuz flows are disrupted
Mar 4th 2026
Commercial and strategic reserves plus cargoes at sea could buy India about 40-45 days of crude if Hormuz flows are disrupted, but higher prices, rerouting costs and policy interventions would follow.
- India holds about 100 million barrels of commercial crude including volumes in SPR facilities at Mangalore, Padur and Visakhapatnam.
- Kpler estimates those stocks could cover roughly 40-45 days of crude imports if flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted.
- India imports about 88 percent of its crude needs and more than half of that supply transits the Strait of Hormuz.
- Around 2.5 million barrels per day of India's imports use Hormuz, about half of its just over 5 million bpd total crude imports.
- Short-term effects would be price spikes and higher import bills rather than immediate physical shortages, with Brent already up about 10 percent amid the Iran crisis.
- India spent $137 billion on crude imports in fiscal 2024-25 and $100.4 billion on crude from April 2025 to January 2026.
- India can seek replacement barrels from West Africa, Latin America, the United States and Russia, but rerouting increases freight, insurance and delivery times.
- If disruption persists, authorities could prioritise domestic supply by curbing refined product exports and refiners could be forced to trim runs under severe supply shortages.