The 9kg gas cylinder is the size most South African homes start with. It runs a stove, a three panel heater, a braai or a patio heater, and it is light enough for most people to carry to a car. You can buy one full, buy an empty and have it filled, or exchange an empty for a full one. This page covers what a 9 kg runs, how long it lasts, the price of the gas and the cylinder, and how to carry and store it. Send one free, no-obligation request and dealers near you quote you directly.
What a 9 kg cylinder runs
Most portable gas appliances are built around a 9 kg. A freestanding gas stove or a two plate hob, an indoor gas heater that takes the cylinder in its back, a gas braai on the stoep and a patio heater with the cylinder in its base all use it. Each needs a low pressure regulator and a short LPG hose. A built in hob or a stove piped to a cylinder outside is an installation and needs a Certificate of Conformity from a registered gas practitioner.
How long a 9 kg lasts
There is no single answer. It depends on how many burners you light, how high the flame is, how long you cook and whether a heater runs through winter evenings. A household that only cooks on gas changes far less often than one that also heats a lounge every night. The simplest fix for running out mid meal is a second full cylinder kept outside, or two cylinders on a changeover valve. Once you know your own pattern, you can time exchanges or refills before the cylinder is empty.
Full, empty or exchange
The first purchase decides how you buy gas later.
- A new full cylinder: you pay for the cylinder or a deposit plus the gas.
- An empty bought outright: you own it and can refill it at independent refill stations.
- An exchange: you swap an empty for a full one of the same type, paying only for the gas.
Branded cylinders are usually exchanged within their own system. See empty gas cylinders before buying second hand.
Carrying and storing a 9 kg
Carry the cylinder upright and secured, valve closed, ideally on a bakkie load bed. A short trip in a car boot is common, but open a window and never leave a cylinder in a hot parked car. At home, a 9 kg that is not connected belongs outside, upright, in the open air, away from drains and switches. Some small cylinders may be allowed indoors with a heater or stove, but never in a basement or a bedroom: ask the installer what is allowed inside.
What to include in your request
- Say if you need a first cylinder or an exchange
- Say how many cylinders you want
- Mention the appliance it will run
- Ask if a regulator and hose are included
- Ask for cylinder and gas priced separately
9 kg Gas Cylinders for different clients
- Homeowners: a stove, a three panel heater or the braai run off one cylinder at a time
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: flats and townhouses where the body corporate allows only small cylinders
- Restaurants, takeaways and bakeries: food stalls and small takeaways running a single burner or warmer
- Guest houses, lodges and venues: self catering cottages with a two plate hob and a heater for winter nights
- Farms and smallholdings: the farm cottage stove and a heater in the workers' kitchen
- Factories, warehouses and workshops: site offices and guard huts with a small heater or kettle burner
- Campers, caravanners and event hosts: patio heaters and braais for a party, swapped for full the day before
- Gas installers, plumbers and dealers: appliance dealers and installers supplying a cylinder with a new stove or heater
Frequently asked questions
What is the 9kg gas cylinder price?
What does an empty 9kg gas bottle cost?
Can I keep a 9 kg gas cylinder indoors?
Where can I find a 9 kg gas bottle for sale near me?
9 kg Gas Cylinders by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg