What is the density of olive oil?

The density of olive oil is 0.916 kg/litre. This density corresponds to a temperature of 17 °C. As the temperature increases, olive oil expands and its density therefore decreases.

The difference in density between olive oil and water has traditionally been used by olive oil producers to separate the water from the oil. In the past, they were separated in settling tanks by decantation. After a certain period of time, the olive oil rose to the top of the tank, while the denser water settled at the bottom together with the remaining solid particles.

Modern extraction processes also make use of the difference in density between olive oil and water. The olive paste and the remaining components are separated according to their density by means of a centrifugation process.

Density table as a function of temperature

Density of olive oil
Temperature (°C)	Density (kg/litre)	Temperature (°C)	Density (kg/litre)
6	0.9230	18	0.9150
7	0.9224	19	0.9144
8	0.9217	20	0.9137
9	0.9210	21	0.9130
10	0.9204	22	0.9124
11	0.9197	23	0.9117
12	0.9190	24	0.9110
13	0.9184	25	0.9104
14	0.9177	26	0.9097
15	0.9170	27	0.9090
16	0.9164	28	0.9084
17	0.9157	29	0.9077

How much does olive oil expand in a frying pan?

It is often said that olive oil "expands" in the frying pan when heated. This is easy to observe as the temperature rises. But how much does it actually expand?

To calculate this, we need to know the coefficient of thermal expansion of olive oil. This ranges between 7.2 × 10^-4 and 7.9 × 10^-4. (For this calculation, we assume a value of 7.9 × 10^-4).
If olive oil is heated from 20 °C to 180 °C for frying, its volume increases by approximately 12.7% (α × ΔT = 7.9 × 10^-4 × (180 − 20)).