Tech Tips: What does my cylinder weigh?

This question is commonly received from end users of our Forane® refrigerant products.  It’s a simple question on the surface, but the answer is more complicated.  For example, some refrigerants can be packaged in cylinders of different pressure ratings, and each will have a significantly different weight.   

The cylinders weight when it contains zero refrigerant is often referred to as a tare weight.  In an ideal world, each cylinder size would have an exact tare weight that could easily be referenced.  However, in reality, each cylinder has a tare weight that varies slightly from the average.  This variance is a result of factors such as cylinder manufacturer, manufacturing variability, how many times the cylinder has been refurbished, paint thickness, valve type, and box thickness.  As a result, Arkema does not recommend using general cylinder tare weights to calculate how much refrigerant a cylinder contains, or how much refrigerant has been removed from a cylinder.  For general information, average cylinder weights are listed in the table below. 

*Weight includes approximately 1 lb. box weight
**Products can be packaged in cylinders of multiple pressure ratings
***Tare weights are an approximate average and can vary significantly from the weights listed, particularly on larger package sizes.