Distillation cuts are the output streams from a distillation tower.

They are called "cuts" because they are the result of separating the crude oil into its comstituent parts based on the different temperatures at which they evaporate and condense (e.g., cut points).

The typical distillation cuts coming from atmospheric distillation and vacuum distillation are:

refinery gas - comprised of methane and ethane. This stream remains a gas and is sent to the fuel sytem.

propane - blended into LPG or used for fuel

butane - blended into LPG or used as fuel

light straight run naphtha - sold as a finished product, blended into gasoline, or upgraded through isomerization

heavy naphtha - mostly upgraded through the reformer

kerosene - used to make jet fuel or blended into diesel

atmospheric gasoil - used to make diesel or converted to gasoline through the FCC

atmospheric bottoms - this cut contains all of the hydrocarbons that do not vaporize. It is typically fed to the vacuum distillation unit for further separation.

VGO or Vacuum gasoil - typically sent to the FCC or hydrocracker to be upgraded into light products

vacuum resid - literally the bottom of the barrel. Typically blended into residual fuel oil or upgraded through a coker or visbreaker