How is the normed fuel consumption calculated?
The normed consumption is the amount of fuel the vehicle should have used for the distance on the trip sheet. It is calculated from the company's own norm, not from an official scale: the old normative, Order 14/1982, has been repealed.
Short answer
- Normed consumption = base norm × kilometres covered / 100.
- The base norm is taken from the vehicle's technical documentation and approved as the company's own norm, by internal decision.
- The result is adjusted with correction coefficients for cold season, urban traffic, air conditioning or equipment with hourly consumption.
- Order 14/1982 is repealed, so there is no longer an official consumption scale — each company sets its own norm.
- The normed consumption is compared monthly with the real consumption from fuel receipts, and the difference is justified separately.
The formula and the correction coefficients
- Take the combined consumption from the vehicle's technical documentation, expressed in litres per 100 km.
- Approve that value as the company's own consumption norm, through an internal decision by the administrator.
- Multiply the base norm by the kilometres on the trip sheet and divide by 100.
- Apply the approved correction coefficients for the actual operating conditions in that period.
- Compare the result with the litres actually refuelled and analyse the difference for each vehicle.
Common correction coefficients for the consumption norm
| Coefficient | When it applies | Effect on the norm |
|---|---|---|
| Cold season | Winter months, with cold starts and the heater running | Increases the base norm |
| Urban traffic | Trips mostly in the city, with frequent stops and starts | Increases the base norm |
| Air conditioning | The warm season, when the air conditioning is running | Increases the base norm |
| Equipment with hourly consumption | Refrigeration units, hydraulic systems, vehicle-mounted cranes | Adds litres per operating hour, on top of the per-100-km consumption |
An example calculation for one month
Example: a van has a base norm of 8.5 l/100 km, approved by internal decision based on the technical documentation. In January it covered 2,400 km. The base normed consumption is 8.5 × 2,400 / 100 = 204 litres. The company has an approved cold-season coefficient of 5%, so the month's norm becomes 204 × 1.05 = 214.2 litres. The January fuel receipts add up to 226 litres. The difference of 11.8 litres exceeds the norm and must be explained: above-average urban traffic, a fault, or a refuel logged against the wrong vehicle.
Common mistakes with the consumption norm
- Using the scales from Order 14/1982 — the normative is repealed and can no longer be invoked.
- Applying the same norm across the whole fleet, although the vehicles have different engines and uses.
- Not documenting the internal decision that approves the company's own norm and the correction coefficients.
- Comparing the normed consumption with the litres refuelled without accounting for the fuel left in the tank.
- Recalculating manually in Excel for every sheet — with 10 vehicles, errors appear in the first month.
How 4fleet helps
- You define the company's own consumption norm and the correction coefficients separately, for each fleet vehicle.
- The normed consumption is calculated automatically on every trip sheet, from the kilometres entered.
- You reconcile the normed consumption with the real consumption from fuel receipts monthly, per vehicle.
- The printable monthly sheet includes the fuel balance, with opening stock, refuelled, normed and closing stock.