The higher US stockpiles will ease concerns that refiners will have trouble matching growing demand and tougher fuel standards as consumption begins to pick up in the spring.
Oil traders' focus has begun to shift away from heating oil after private and government forecasters called for an unseasonably mild February and March, putting the coldest weather of the season in the past.
The EIA reported that US inventories of distillate fuels, including heating oil and diesel, fell 2.9 million barrels to stand about 4.5 percent below last year, drawn down by a two-week freeze in January.
Crude inventories slipped 300,000 barrels against market expectations of a 1.5-million-barrel rise, but remained a healthy 9 percent above levels at the same point last year.
"Crude imports to the US are pretty high and stocks are well above this time last year. Looking at the fundamental picture in the United States, oil prices are on the high side," said David Thurtell at Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney.
"I think $41 to $42 would be fair value at the moment."
Oil producers in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries are closely watching stock levels, fearing a sharp drop in oil prices if inventories should build too quickly in the second quarter, when demand wanes at the end of winter.
Opec agreed on Sunday to leave official production limits unchanged at 27 million barrels per day for the time being, but warned that a cut could be co-ordinated by telephone before the group's March 16 meeting in Iran if stocks suddenly rise or if prices fall too heavily.
"We will wait normally to March.