For investors seeking to gain exposure to energy priceswhether natural gas, crude oil, or anything in betweenexchange-traded products have become popular tools to use. The widespread availability, superior transparency, and relatively low costs have obvious appeal; ETFs (and ETNs) have made access to commodities much easier and cheaper.

The ETF universe includes products that target several different types of energy resources, including crude oil, natural gas, Brent crude, heating oil, and gasoline. And in many of these categories, there are multiple options form which to choose. Below, we highlight some useful tools for screening commodity ETFs as well as a few of the noteworthy products for accessing each type of energy commodity:

 The Best Commodity ETF Screening Tools

1. ETFdb Screener (with Pro Excel Download) : This flexible tool can be used to filter through ETFs in any asset class, including commodities. Users can identify ETFs targeting various energy commodities, and further narrow down the search based on expenses, applicable tax rates and forms, and commission free trading availability.

ETFdb Pro members can download screener results into an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file [sign up for a free 7-day trial to Pro ].

2. Commodities Database at Commodity HQ : This database covers much more than just energy commodities, and can be a useful tool for basic information on various types of natural resources. The Commodity HQ database includes the vital stats for futures contracts on many energy contracts, and also highlights the available ways to gain exposure to a number of different energy commodities (such as stocks, ETFs, and futures).

3. Head-To-Head ETF Comparison Tool : This free tool is useful for comparing two ETFs side by side to see which makes the most sense for your investment objectives. The head-to-head comparison tool displays a number of different metrics, including basic information such as expenses and structure and detailed historical performance figures.

ETFdb Pro members can see what our team of analysts thinks about each product though access to the Analyst Takes for each ETF.

4. XTF : This site is home to a boatload of information on all types of ETFs, including those that offer exposure to energy commodities. XTF also maintains a proprietary ranking system that evaluates the structural integrity and investment rankings for each ETF, giving investors additional factors to consider when analyzing potential holdings.

5. AssetCorrelation.com : When considering exposure to natural resource prices, investors are often interested in determining the correlation to traditional asset classes. This is especially true with energy commodities, and especially true in the current environment. Generally speaking, investors considering commodities will be looking for securities that can bring diversification benefits to their portfolios.

This free tool allows investors to see how various energy ETFs correlate to one another as well as to broad-based funds such as SPY or AGG. Results can be shown for multiple ETFs and over various timeframes.

Useful Links For Every Energy Commodity

Below we provide some helpful links for each and every type of energy commodity.