Fire extinguisher refilling: how often, the process step by step, the tag and certificate, and what it costs in India

Fire extinguisher refilling at a glance: 10 facts

Refill, discharge test, hydro test or replace: what each one means

Fire extinguisher refilling process, step by step

1. 1

   Put a spare in its place

   Before a unit leaves the wall, hang a spare of the same type and rating; IS 2190 does not allow a gap in cover (cl. 8.2.4).

2. 2

   Log it out

   Note the serial number, type, capacity and location in the register so the right unit comes back to the right spot (Annex H).

3. 3

   Empty and depressurise

   The workshop discharges what is left safely and releases the pressure. Leftover powder is thrown away, never reused (cl. 9.9).

4. 4

   Clean and inspect

   Body, nozzle and hose are cleaned of residue and the shell is checked for dents, corrosion and thread damage before anything else (GeM terms 5.2; IS 2190 cl. 11).

5. 5

   Hydro-test if due

   If the Annex F interval has run out, the shell is tested at 35 kg/cm² (225 kg/cm² for CO2). A unit that leaks or distorts is condemned, not refilled.

6. 6

   Recharge to the label mass

   Refill with the same agent the label names, to the printed mass; powder types are never mixed and a unit is never converted to another agent (cl. 9.3, 9.7, 9.8).

7. 7

   Pressurise and leak-test

   Stored-pressure powder and clean agent units are pressurised from a regulated nitrogen source, never compressed air, then leak-tested (cl. 9.4, 9.17, 9.18).

8. 8

   Seal, tag and return

   A new tamper seal, an updated service tag with the refill date, agent and next due date, and the unit back on its bracket with the instructions facing out (GeM terms 5.2; cl. 5.9).

How often should a fire extinguisher be refilled?

At once after any use, and otherwise every 3 or 5 years depending on what is inside. Not every year: the yearly visit is a service, not a refill.

Signs your fire extinguisher needs refilling now

Seven things the 90-day check looks for. Any one of them sends the unit for recharge before its cycle is due.

Refilling rules a workshop must follow under IS 2190

Ask your refiller to confirm these in writing. Each is a clause of the 2024 standard, not a matter of preference.

Fire extinguisher refilling cost in India from official rate sheets

No state notifies a refilling price. Two government schedules do, one per kg and one per cylinder; read each on its own basis.

Fire extinguisher refilling certificate, tag and register: what each must show

Three records prove a refill. An inspector reads the tag on the unit and the register in the office, and a contract may add a certificate.

No national "refilling certificate format" exists. A certificate that does not list serial numbers, agent, mass and test dates against each unit proves little; ask for the register fields above.

Who can refill a fire extinguisher in India

IS 2190 asks for a competent person and puts the duty on the owner. Beyond that, the route depends on who you are and where you are.

• Every owner

  You stay responsible

  The owner, or the owner's agent, is answerable for inspection, maintenance and recharge, whoever does the work (IS 2190 cl. 8.2.1). 1IS 2190:2024

• The worker

  A competent person

  Servicing needs a person trained and equipped for the job (cl. 8.2.2); CO2 is filled only from an approved filling agency (cl. 9.14). 1IS 2190:2024

• Maharashtra

  A licensed fire agency for Form B

  Form B every January and July must be certified by an agency licensed by the Maharashtra Fire Services; its guidelines point to IS 2190 clause 8 and Annexes E and F. 5MFS Form B guidelines

• Government buyers

  A GeM refilling service

  Offices buy refills on GeM under standard terms: discharge, cleaning, refill, seal, tag, test and a work record, with deductions for late or poor work. 4GeM refilling terms

• Everyone

  An AMC that includes refills

  Many buildings fold refills and hydro tests into a yearly maintenance contract; check whether yours is comprehensive before paying again. 3AIIMS Bhubaneswar NIT

Refill or replace your fire extinguisher? Decide in 5 checks

Most units are refilled. Five conditions mean a new one instead, whatever the refiller offers.

1. IfIt is more than 10 years from its date of manufacture (15 for CO2)

   Replace it; service life runs from the manufacture date, not from the last refill (Annex G). 1IS 2190:2024

2. IfIt is a non-rechargeable unit

   Never refill it; discharge and discard it within 5 years of manufacture, and send a clean agent unit for recovery (cl. 8.4.2.5). 1IS 2190:2024

3. IfIt failed a hydro test by leaking or bulging

   Condemn it, cut it across the body and buy the same type and rating (cl. 11.4, 13). 1IS 2190:2024

4. IfThe shell has been welded, brazed or patched, lost over 10% of wall thickness, or been in a fire

   Do not test it at all; the owner destroys it (cl. 11). 1IS 2190:2024

5. IfNone of the above, and it bears the ISI mark

   Refill it. Extinguishers sold in India need the BIS mark under the 2023 Quality Control Order, S.O. 3585(E). Fire extinguishers 10Gazette of India

GeM penalties for a late or poor fire extinguisher refill

Government offices that buy refilling on GeM get a standard service level agreement. Private buyers can copy its three tests into their own contract.

These are contract terms, not fines under a fire Act. A fire officer who finds empty or overdue extinguishers acts under the state's fire law; see the fire NOC penalties page.

Refilling problems that condemn an extinguisher

A good workshop will refuse to refill in these cases. If yours does not, that is the warning sign.

Fire extinguisher refilling myths that cost money

Four claims buyers hear at the door, set against what IS 2190:2024 actually says.

• You may have read

  Every extinguisher must be refilled every year.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Once a year is the maintenance visit. A refill falls due after use or at 3 or 5 years by type (cl. 8.4.1, Annex E). 1IS 2190:2024

• You may have read

  Topping up the pressure is a refill.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  A recharge brings the agent to the mass on the label and ends with a leak test; re-pressurising a half-empty unit does neither (cl. 9.3, 9.4). 1IS 2190:2024

• You may have read

  A refill restarts the extinguisher's life.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Life counts from the date of manufacture: 10 years, or 15 for CO2, however often it is refilled (Annex G). 1IS 2190:2024

• You may have read

  A unit that was never used never needs servicing.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Seals, gauges and cartridges still need the 90-day check and yearly service, and the 3 or 5 year cycle still applies (cl. 8.3.1, Annex E). 1IS 2190:2024

State rules on extinguisher refilling that differ from IS 2190

Most states simply point to IS 2190. Three documents set their own numbers; where they are stricter, follow them.

MMaharashtra, Form B guidelines (7 July 2026)

Owners follow IS 2190 clause 8 and Annexes E and F, but water stored-pressure units are discharge-tested every 2 years (the standard says 3), and gauges and safety valves on large units are calibrated once in 3 years. 5MFS Form B guidelines

GGujarat, Regulations 2023, Annexure 12

The inspector's checklist asks a hydro test every 5 years for CO2 and every 3 years for DCP, foam and water units; IS 2190 gives powder 5 years. 12Gujarat Fire Safety Compliance Portal

MMizoram, Amendment Rules 2026, r.57(B)

Extinguishers per IS 2190 at one per 200 m²; signed but not in force until Gazetted, so the 2019 rules apply. 13Mizoram Home Dept

CCPWD Maintenance Manual 2023

In central government buildings, refilling is paid for by the user department, not by CPWD. 14CPWD Maintenance Manual

Fire extinguisher refilling worked examples with official rates

Flamekite’s working from the official rules; no government publishes this figure.

Flamekite's own working from the rules and the Maharashtra PWD rates. Real quotes will differ.

1. Case 1

   An office in its fifth year

   10 ABC stored-pressure units of 6 kg and 4 CO2 units of 4.5 kg, none used.

   What applies All 14 fall due together at year 5 (Annex E). At Maharashtra PWD rates: 60 kg x Rs 241 = Rs 14,460 plus 18 kg x Rs 173 = Rs 3,114, so Rs 17,574 before GST and Rs 20,737.32 with 18%. CO2 shells due a hydro test add a test charge each. 2MH PWD CSR 2018-19

2. Case 2

   A restaurant after a pan fire

   One 6 kg ABC unit fired for a few seconds.

   What applies It is recharged now, not at its cycle (cl. 9.1), and a spare of the same rating hangs in its place until it returns (cl. 8.2.4). At the AIIMS 2026 rate a 6 kg ABC refill is Rs 919.22 including GST. 3AIIMS Bhubaneswar NIT

3. Case 3

   A housing society in Pune

   12 water stored-pressure units of 9 litres, bought in 2022.

   What applies IS 2190 says a discharge test every 3 years; Maharashtra's Form B guidelines say every 2, so the society's agency tests them in 2024 and 2026 before certifying Form B. 5MFS Form B guidelines

4. Case 4

   A shop with a small disposable unit

   A non-rechargeable 1 kg powder unit made in 2021.

   What applies No refill is possible. It is discharged and discarded by 2026, within 5 years of manufacture (cl. 8.4.2.5). 1IS 2190:2024