When we talk about types of edible oil , it is a broad category, but the global market is not spread evenly across all the oils in it. Palm and soybean oil account for most of the volume, with rapeseed and sunflower oil following behind. Coconut, peanut, olive and other oils have their own markets, but on a much smaller scale.
The latest USDA outlook puts production of the major vegetable oils at 244.07 million metric tons (MMT) in 2026-27. Consumption is expected to be around 237.56 MMT, while exports are forecast at 91.59 MMT.
The main types of edible oil include palm oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, palm kernel oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, olive oil and cottonseed oil.
There is a big difference in the volumes, though. Palm oil production is expected to reach 81.36 MMT in 2026-27, compared with 74.70 MMT for soybean oil. Rapeseed oil is at 37.23 MMT and sunflower oil at 23.50 MMT.
Those four oils alone make up nearly 89% of the production covered in the USDA's data.
Palm oil is still the heavyweight of the market.
Indonesia is expected to produce about 47.5 MMT in 2026-27, while Malaysia is forecast to produce another 19.6 MMT. Together, they account for most of the world's palm-oil supply.
The export figures are even more telling. Global palm-oil exports are expected to reach 45.62 MMT. Indonesia is forecast to export 24.15 MMT and Malaysia 15.80 MMT.
Palm oil therefore has a much bigger presence in international trade than any other major vegetable oil.
Soybean oil comes next. China, the United States and Brazil are the largest producers, with 21.36 MMT, 14.78 MMT and 13.26 MMT respectively expected in 2026-27. Global production is forecast at 74.70 MMT.
Soybean oil is also closely tied to the soybean crushing business. Crushing soybeans produces oil as well as soybean meal. That is the reason it is also widely used in animal feed. The USDA expects global soybean crushing to reach 383.14 MMT during the year.
Argentina remains a major supplier and the country is forecasted to export around 6.55 MMT of soybean oil.
Rapeseed oil is one of the other major types of cooking oil traded around the world.
Production is forecast at 37.23 MMT in the year 2026-27. The underlying rapeseed crop is expected to reach 96.89 MMT, with Canada, the EU, China and India among the major producing markets.
Rapeseed oil is also being pulled into industrial applications. Biofuel demand has become an increasingly important part of the vegetable-oil market, particularly in some large consuming economies.
Sunflower oil has a different geographical story.
Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers, with 2026-27 production forecast at 7.52 MMT and 5.63 MMT respectively. Argentina is expected to produce another 2.67 MMT.
Exports are forecast at 15.59 MMT. Ukraine is expected to account for 5.10 MMT and Russia 4.85 MMT.
There is more supply expected in the market as well. Global sunflower seed production is forecast to reach a record 61.78 MMT, with better production expected across several major growing regions.
USDA expects sunflower-oil exports to rise by around 16% in 2026-27.
Palm kernel, coconut, peanut, olive and cottonseed oils make up the rest of the main vegetable-oil group.
The quantities are considerably lower. USDA forecasts 2026-27 production of 9.41 MMT for palm kernel oil, 6.34 MMT for peanut oil, 4.46 MMT for cottonseed oil, 3.82 MMT for coconut oil and 3.25 MMT for olive oil.
Coconut oil has a fairly active export market, with global exports expected at 2.11 MMT. Olive oil is forecast at 1.39 MMT, while peanut oil exports are much smaller at 0.44 MMT.
If the focus is on international trade, the order changes slightly.
Palm oil leads with 45.62 MMT of exports in the USDA's 2026-27 forecast. Sunflower oil follows at 15.59 MMT, soybean oil at 14.39 MMT and rapeseed oil at 8.66 MMT.
Palm oil alone accounts for roughly half of global exports of the major vegetable oils covered by the USDA.
The overall trade market is expected to reach about 92 MMT, up around 4%. Sunflower oil is expected to see the biggest increase among the major oils, while palm-oil exports are likely to remain around 46 MMT.
Indonesia is the largest producer of the major vegetable oils, with 54.01 MMT forecast for 2026-27. China follows with 33.74 MMT and Malaysia with 21.96 MMT.
India sits at the other end of the supply chain. It is expected to import around 17.14 MMT of the major vegetable oils, ahead of China, the EU and the United States.
The major suppliers also depend on the oil being discussed. Indonesia and Malaysia dominate palm oil. Argentina is a leading soybean-oil exporter, while Ukraine and Russia are major names in sunflower oil. Canada remains important for rapeseed.
Most vegetable oil still goes into food, but the market has another large demand source now.
USDA expects around 168 MMT to be used for food in 2026-27, while industrial consumption is forecast at about 68 MMT. Industrial demand is growing faster, largely because of biofuel production.
For the edible-oil trade, this is worth watching. The same oil can be wanted by a food processor, a refiner or an industrial buyer, and a change in one market can affect availability in another.
There are many varieties of edible oil , but four names dominate the global trade: palm, soybean, rapeseed and sunflower.
Their supply chains are quite different. Palm oil is heavily concentrated in Southeast Asia. Soybean oil follows the enormous soybean-crushing industry. Sunflower oil is closely tied to the Black Sea and other major growing regions, while rapeseed has its own production and processing base across Canada, Europe and Asia.
For an importer or exporter, that is often more useful to know than simply memorising the different types of cooking oil . Where the oil comes from, how much is available and how much is moving across borders usually tells you far more about the market.
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Verified buyers and sellers: The platform has a network of millions of verified edible buyers and sellers that are ready to export and import in bulk.
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The main types of edible oil are palm, soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, palm kernel, peanut, coconut, olive and cottonseed oil.
Palm oil leads production at an expected 81.36 MMT in 2026–27, followed by soybean oil at 74.70 MMT, rapeseed oil at 37.23 MMT and sunflower oil at 23.50 MMT.
Palm oil leads international trade, with global exports forecast at 45.62 MMT in 2026–27, followed by sunflower oil, soybean oil and rapeseed oil.
Indonesia and Malaysia dominate global palm-oil production. Their combined output represents most of the world's palm-oil supply.
The leading soybean-oil producers highlighted are China, the United States and Brazil. Global soybean-oil production is forecast at 74.70 MMT for 2026–27.
Ukraine and Russia are major sunflower-oil suppliers, with Argentina also being an important producer. Global sunflower-oil exports are forecast at 15.59 MMT in 2026–27.
Other important categories include palm kernel, coconut, peanut, olive and cottonseed oils, although their production volumes are considerably smaller than those of palm, soybean, rapeseed and sunflower oil.
India is expected to import approximately 17.14 MMT of the major vegetable oils in 2026–27, according to the outlook cited in the blog
