HOUSTON, April 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 15.8 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending April 14, 260,000 b/d more than the previous week's average, according to the weekly report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.

Refineries operated at 91 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the Weekly Petroleum Data Report.

During the same period, gasoline production fell while distillate fuel production rose, averaging 9.5 million b/d and 4.8 million b/d respectively.

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, went down by 4.6 million barrels from the previous week to 466 million barrels, about two percent above the five year average for this time of year.

Total motor gasoline inventories surged by 1.3 million barrels from the previous week and were some six percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Both finished gasoline and blending components inventories increased last week.

Distillate fuel inventories dropped by 0.4 million barrels last week, about 11 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

Propane/propylene inventories fell by 0.7 million barrels from last week, about 27 percent above the five year average for this time of year.

Total commercial petroleum inventories decreased by 0.4 million barrels last week.

Total products supplied over the last four week period averaged 19.9 million b/d, up by 2.5 percent from the same period last year.

Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 9 million b/d, up by 3.5 percent from the same period last year.

Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.9 million b/d over the past four weeks, up by 4.9 percent from the same period last year.

Jet fuel product supplied was up 5.4 percent compared with the same four week period last year.