Common Mean Densities

Natural Pure Water - 1,000 kg/m³  Seawater - 1,022 kg/m³  Food Milk - 1,037 kg/m³  Olive Oil - 860 kg/m³ Castor Oil - 961 kg/m3 Coconut Oil - 925 kg/m3 Soybean Oil - 926 kg/m3 Sunflower Oil - 920 kg/m3 Industrial Cement Slurry - 1,442 kg/m³ Cotton seed Oil - 925.87 kg/m3 Linseed Oil - 929.07 kg/m3 Mercury - 13,534 kg/m3 Sewage Sludge - 721 kg/m3 Fuels Diesel Fuel - 885 kg/m³  Crude Oil - 870 kg/m³  to 920 kg/m³  Fuel Oil -  890 kg/m³  Ethanol - 789 kg/m³  Gasoline (petrol) - 737 kg/m³  Kerosene - 817.15 kg/m3 Propane - 493 kg/m3 Liquid Natural Gas - 430 to 470 kg/m3

Mean Density of Fluids 

Mean density is the average amount of mass within a volume for a substance.  Note, volume of a material is often highly subject to the temperatures, since materials expand as they warm.  For that reason, mean densities of substances are often cited with a set of nominal conditions such as temperature and barometric pressure. 

The formula for mean density is:

μD = V / m

where:

• μD = mean density
• V = Volume in units like gallons or liters
• m = Mass in units like kilograms or pounds

Mean density is also often indicated as the Greek symbol rho (ρ).

The mean density of fluids can be useful since fluids (liquids and gases) conform to the shape of their containers.  This is why it is possible to use the mean density of a substance and the dimensions of its container to estimate the weight/mass of the substance in the container.