Crude inventories fell by 11.2 million barrels in the week to Jan. 5 to 416.6 million, compared with analysts' expectations for a decrease of 3.9 million barrels. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub fell by 2.5 million barrels, API said.

If confirmed by US government data at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT) on Wednesday, the draw will be the largest since Sept. 2, when crude stockpiles were depleted in the wake of Hurricane Harvey's disruption on the US Gulf Coast. US stockpiles fell by 14.5 million barrels during that week.

Refinery crude runs rose by 211,000 barrels per day, API data showed.

Gasoline stocks rose by 4.3 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 2.6 million-barrel gain.

Distillate fuels stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 4.7 million barrels, compared with expectations for a 1.5 million-barrel gain, the API data showed.

US crude imports rose last week by 147,000 barrels per day to 7.8 million bpd.