Searches for the empty 9 kg gas bottle price come from people who want to own a cylinder rather than rent one, or who need a second cylinder so one is always full. Buying an empty cylinder is simple, but there is more to it than the price: the size, the tare weight and test date stamped on the collar, the valve type, and above all who will fill it once you have it. This page covers new and used empties from 2 kg to 48 kg. Ask once and local dealers will quote you for free, with no obligation.
Sizes and what an empty cylinder costs
Empty cylinders are sold in the common LPG sizes: 1 and 2 kg camping cylinders, 3 and 5 kg for a cooker top or lamp, 9 kg for the house, 19 kg and 48 kg for larger users. As a guide, empty cylinders list at about R475 for a 2 kg, R780 to R1,250 for a 9 kg and R3,800 for a 50 kg. The gas is extra: the first fill is paid on top of the cylinder. See 9 kg gas cylinders and 3 kg and 5 kg cylinders for how each size is used.
Reading the collar: tare weight and test dates
Every cylinder carries stamped markings, usually on the collar or a plate near the valve. The two that matter most to you are:
- Tare weight: the weight of the empty cylinder. Add the gas size and you know what a full one should weigh, which is how a refill station fills by weight and how you check a fill on a scale.
- Test dates: cylinders must be tested at set intervals. One that is past its test date will be refused for filling until it has been retested.
Also look for dents, deep rust around the foot ring or the base, and a bent or leaking valve.
Valve types and who will fill it
Valves differ between cylinder types and sizes, and your regulator must match the valve on the cylinder. Ask the seller which valve it has before you buy a regulator. More important still: many branded cylinders stay the property of a gas company and are only exchanged or filled inside that company's system, so buying one second hand does not make it yours to refill anywhere. Cylinders you own outright can be refilled at independent refill stations. Ask the dealer how it works before you pay.
Second hand cylinders and scrapping old ones
A used cylinder can be a fair buy if the test date is current, the body is sound and the seller can show it is theirs to sell. Walk away from one that is rusted through the paint, dented, heat marked or missing its valve guard. Never weld, heat or cut a cylinder, not even to make a braai or a fire pit from an old one. An unwanted or failed cylinder should go back to a dealer or a scrap metal merchant who handles gas cylinders, so it can be made safe first.
What to include in your request
- The cylinder size and how many you need
- New only, or used with a current test date
- Whether you want the first fill included
- The appliance or regulator it must fit
- Any old cylinders you want taken away
Empty Gas Cylinders for different clients
- Homeowners: a second empty 9 kg so one is full while the other goes for refilling
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: a 9 kg cylinder of their own for a flat or townhouse braai and heater
- Restaurants, takeaways and bakeries: spare owned cylinders so a food truck or takeaway is never caught empty
- Guest houses, lodges and venues: small owned cylinders for chalet braais, lamps and the staff kitchen
- Farms and smallholdings: owned cylinders filled in town and carried out to the farm by bakkie
- Factories, warehouses and workshops: owned cylinders for canteen cooking, heating and small burners on site
- Campers, caravanners and event hosts: a 2 kg or 3 kg cylinder for camping, fishing trips and the caravan
- Gas installers, plumbers and dealers: installers and dealers buying empty cylinders to supply with new appliances
Frequently asked questions
What is the price of an empty 9 kg gas bottle?
Is it safe to buy a second hand gas cylinder?
Why did the refill station refuse my cylinder?
Do you sell empty gas cylinders?
Empty 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