General information only, last reviewed October 25, 2026. Full notice and dates to watch at the end of the page. A date on this page has passed. Check the current rule at the source before you rely on it. Dates to watch
If you have heard the term RIN floating around the fuel business and nodded along without quite knowing what it meant, you are in good company. RINs are the accounting credits that make the federal Renewable Fuel Standard work, and they shape the renewable content and pricing of the fuel everyone handles. This is the plain explanation.
What a RIN is
A RIN, or Renewable Identification Number, is a credit that tracks renewable fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Each one is a record in the EPA's EMTS tracking system that carries details like the year generated, the producer, and the fuel type. RINs are the currency of the program, the unit used to prove compliance.
What the RFS is
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is an EPA program requiring a set volume of renewable fuel to be blended into the nation's transportation fuel each year. It is the policy that drives ethanol and biodiesel into the supply, by setting annual obligations that must be met.
Who is obligated
Obligated parties are refiners and importers of gasoline or diesel. They must meet a Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) set annually by the EPA, either by blending renewable fuel themselves or by obtaining RINs. The obligation sits upstream, at the refiner and importer level.
How RINs move
When renewable fuel is blended into gasoline or diesel, the RIN separates from the physical gallon and can be retired for compliance or traded to other parties. RINs are a tradeable commodity, valid the year generated and the following year, and all transactions clear through the EPA's EMTS system. Their value moves like any market, which feeds back into fuel pricing.
What it means for a jobber
Mostly indirect. The obligation sits with refiners and importers, but the RFS shapes the renewable content in the fuel everyone handles and influences pricing through RIN values. The exception is blending: a jobber who buys ethanol or biodiesel with the RIN attached, splash-blends it, and registers with the EPA keeps the RIN that separates at the blend, and can sell it. At the record RIN values of mid-2026, that credit was worth far more per blended gallon than a typical fuel margin. Jobbers who never blend feel the RFS through the cost and makeup of the fuel they buy.
Where FastDragon fits
As renewable content and blends become a bigger part of the product mix, tracking each fuel by type, cost, and tax matters more. FastDragon Fuel Jobber keeps every product distinct in your books, so a more complex, renewable-influenced supply stays clear.
Questions we hear a lot
How much is a RIN worth?
Prices move daily and swing hard. EPA trade data shows D6 ethanol and D4 biomass-based diesel RINs averaging above $2 each in mid-2026, the highest monthly averages on its record, after spending earlier years anywhere from a few cents to about $1.80. The EPA publishes weekly volume-weighted RIN price data if you need the current figure.
How many RINs does a gallon of renewable fuel generate?
It depends on energy content. A gallon of ethanol generates 1.0 RIN, biodiesel generates 1.5, and renewable diesel generates 1.7 through 2026. Under EPA's 2026 rule, renewable diesel drops to 1.5 on January 1, 2027, or 1.6 for producers who show EPA a higher energy or renewable content. That is why a gallon of biomass-based diesel earns more credit value than a gallon of ethanol at the same RIN price.
What do the RIN D-codes mean?
The D-code marks the fuel category. D3 is cellulosic biofuel, D4 is biomass-based diesel, D5 is advanced biofuel, D6 is conventional renewable fuel, mostly corn ethanol, and D7 is cellulosic diesel. The program sets nested volume targets for these categories, and each code trades at its own market price.
What does it take to sell RINs?
EPA registration and ongoing paperwork. Parties that own RINs register with the EPA, log each trade in EMTS, and file quarterly reports. The compliance workload is why some smaller blenders work through brokers who handle the trades and the filings.
Sources: the RFS rules in 40 CFR part 80, subpart M (equivalence values, RIN data, two-year RIN life, separation at blending, registration, EMTS and quarterly reports) and 40 CFR 80.2 (who is an obligated party); EPA's 2026 RFS rule (91 FR 16388, standards for 2026 and 2027); EPA RIN trade and price data; and 40 CFR 1090.115 (registration for anyone who blends ethanol into gasoline).