U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 15.6 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending April 4, 69,000 b/d more than the previous week's average, according to a weekly report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.

Refineries operated at 86.7 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the EIA's Weekly Petroleum Data report.

During the same period, both the gasoline and distillate fuel production went down, averaging 8.9 million b/d and 4.7 million b/d respectively.

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, surged by 2.6 million barrels from the previous week to 442.3 million barrels, and were about 5 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

Total motor gasoline inventories declined by 1.6 million barrels, and were the same as the five-year average for this time of year.

Finished gasoline inventories went up while blending components inventories went down last week.

Distillate fuel inventories dropped by 3.5 million barrels last week, and were around 9 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

Propane/propylene inventories rose by 1.5 million barrels, and were 5 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

Total commercial petroleum inventories increased by 1.2 million barrels last week.

Total products supplied over the last four-week period averaged 19.6 million b/d, down by 1.9 percent from the same period last year.

Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.6 million b/d, down by 2.8 percent from the same period last year.

Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.8 million b/d over the past four weeks, up by 7.3 percent from the same period last year.

Jet fuel product supplied was up 5.2 percent compared with the same four-week period last year.