Brent Crude may refer to any or all of the components of the Brent Complex, a physically and financially traded oil market based around the North Sea of Northwest Europe; colloquially, Brent Crude usually refers to the price of the ICE (Intercontinental Exchange) Brent Crude Oil futures contract or the contract itself. The original Brent Crude referred to a trading classification of sweet light crude oil first extracted from the Brent oilfield in the North Sea in 1976. As production from the Brent oilfield declined to zero in 2021, crude oil blends from other oil fields have been added to the trade classification. The current Brent blend consists of crude oil produced from the Forties (added 2002), Oseberg (added 2002), Ekofisk (added 2007), Troll (added 2018) oil fields (also known as the BFOET Quotation) and oil drilled from Midland, Texas in the Permian Basin (added 2023).

The Brent Crude oil marker is also known as Brent Blend, London Brent and Brent petroleum. This grade is described as light because of its relatively low density, and sweet because of its low sulphur content.

Brent is the leading global price benchmark for Atlantic basin crude oils. It is used to set the price of two-thirds of the world's internationally traded crude oil supplies. It is one of the two main benchmark prices for purchases of oil worldwide, the other being West Texas Intermediate (WTI).

Popular media references to "Brent crude" usually refers to the ICE Brent crude oil futures price. The ICE Brent crude oil futures price is part of the Brent Complex, a physical and financial market for crude oil based around the North Sea of Northwest Europe, which could include numerous elements that can be referred to as Brent crude:

The Brent Complex fosters commercial transactions of Brent crude oil, gathers price data those transactions (in forwards, CFDs, and Dated Brent), establishes reference prices for other global oil trade transactions (in Dated Brent assessed prices, Dated BFOET assessed prices, forward traded prices, and futures traded prices), and transfers risks of those transactions (through hedging in forward and futures markets).

The ICE Futures Europe symbol for Brent crude oil futures is B. It was originally traded on the open outcry International Petroleum Exchange in London starting in 1988, but since 2005 has been traded on the electronic Intercontinental Exchange, known as ICE. One contract equals 1,000 barrels (159 m³) and quoted in U.S. dollars. Up to 96 contracts, for 96 consecutive months, in the Brent crude oil futures contract series are available for trading. For example, before the last trading date for May 2020, 96 contracts, from contracts for May 2020, June 2020, July 2020 ... Mar 2028, April 2028, and May 2028 are available for trading. ICE Clear Europe acts as the central counterparty for Brent crude oil and related contracts. Brent contracts are deliverable contracts based on 'Exchange of Futures for Physicals' (EFP) delivery with an option to cash settle against the ICE Brent Index price for the last trading day of the futures contract.

In addition to ICE, two types of Brent crude financial futures are also traded on the NYMEX (now part of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). They are ultimately priced in relation to the ICE Brent crude oil futures and the ICE Brent Index.

Brent Crude Oil Penultimate Financial Futures, also known as Brent Crude Oil Futures, are traded using the symbol BB, and are cash settled based on the ICE Brent Crude Oil Futures 1st nearby contract settlement price on the penultimate trading day for the delivery month.