A run ticket is the document that records a sale of crude oil - the official measurement of how much oil left the lease, at what quality, and under what conditions. It is the paper (or increasingly electronic) trail behind every barrel bought and paid for. Whether oil goes out by truck or pipeline, a run ticket ties the transfer to hard numbers. This guide explains what a run ticket is, what it contains, how it is produced, and where it fits in custody transfer.
Run Ticket in one line: A run ticket is the official record of a custody-transfer measurement - a document capturing the volume, quality, and conditions of crude oil moved from a lease to a buyer or pipeline. It records the metered or gauged volumes, temperature, BS&W, gravity, and the resulting net oil, and it is the basis on which the oil is paid for.
A run ticket documents everything needed to establish how much sellable oil changed hands. Typical entries include the date and time, the lease or facility and tank or meter identification, and the volume measurement - either opening and closing tank gauge readings or opening and closing meter totals. It records the observed temperature, the BS&W or water content, and the API gravity, since those determine the corrections applied.
From those inputs the ticket shows the volume calculation: the gross observed volume, the correction to standard conditions (gross standard volume), and the deduction of water and sediment to arrive at the net standard volume - the clean oil at 60 degrees F that the sale is based on. Signatures or electronic authorizations from the parties (for example the operator and the transporter or purchaser) make it an agreed record of the transaction.
There are two common ways a run ticket is generated. In tank (or gauge) measurement, oil is measured by the change in level in a stock tank. A gauger takes an opening gauge, temperature, and sample before the transfer and a closing gauge after; the level change is converted to volume using the tank's strapping table, then corrected and reduced by S&W to net oil. This is typical for truck loadouts on smaller leases.
In LACT (lease automatic custody transfer) measurement, oil is metered continuously as it flows to a pipeline. The LACT unit's flow computer meters the volume, applies the meter factor and temperature/pressure corrections, reads the inline BS&W, and totalizes net oil - then generates the run ticket automatically at the end of a batch or period. LACT tickets are largely electronic and remove much of the manual gauging, which reduces error and dispute.
Because the run ticket is the basis of payment, it must be accurate, complete, and auditable. Electronic run tickets generated by a flow computer carry the exact inputs and calculations, timestamped and tamper-evident, which streamlines back-office reconciliation and regulatory reporting. The underlying values - meter totals, temperature, pressure, BS&W, meter factor, and net volume - are all live tags on the controller during the transfer.
A cloud SCADA platform such as Merobix reads those metering tags from the LACT flow computer or controller over Modbus, OPC UA, or a similar protocol and trends net volume, water cut, and meter status through the transfer - so operators can watch a load complete, confirm the volumes and quality that will appear on the ticket, and catch a problem like a rising water cut before an off-spec batch is ticketed, all from a browser rather than a site visit.
A run ticket is the official record of a crude oil custody transfer. It documents the volume, temperature, BS&W, and gravity of the oil moved from a lease to a truck or pipeline, along with the calculation of net oil at standard conditions. The run ticket is the basis on which the oil is paid for.
A tank run ticket measures oil by the change in a stock tank's level, converted to volume with a strapping table and corrected by a gauger - common for truck loadouts. A LACT run ticket is generated automatically by a LACT unit's flow computer, which meters flow continuously, corrects it, and totalizes net oil to a pipeline.
The run ticket is the legal and commercial record of how much sellable oil changed hands and under what conditions, so it is the basis of payment and of regulatory reporting. Every number on it - volume, temperature, BS&W, gravity, and net oil - must be accurate and auditable, because errors translate directly into money.
This page references the protocol specifications published by the organizations below. Editions, product capabilities, and documentation change over time - confirm current requirements and specifications directly with the source.
Last reviewed: July 27, 2026. Merobix is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by these organizations; their names are used only to identify the standards and products discussed.
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