Gas Cylinders Rules, 2016: licence-free limits, licences, testing, colours and the 2026 amendments

Gas Cylinders Rules 2016 at a glance: 12 facts

Gas Cylinders Rules licences compared: Forms D, E, F, G and H

Getting a Form E or Form F licence for oxygen, acetylene or industrial gas

1. 1

   Class the gases and count them

   Form F lists 6 classes: toxic, non-toxic non-flammable, non-toxic flammable, dissolved acetylene, flammable liquefiable other than LPG, and LPG. Check rule 44 first: under its limits and for own use, no licence is needed.

2. 2

   Get the plan approved under rule 47

   File the specification and plan to scale, the premises coloured and everything within 100 m shown, with the Rs 1,000 scrutiny fee. Since April 2025 the documents and fees go through PESO's portal only (rules 47A and 47B).

3. 3

   Build to the plan and the conditions

   A non-flammable shed; 3 m clear and a 2 m fence round a toxic or flammable shed; flameproof electrics; two 10 kg extinguishers. PESO checks that fire fighting is adequate before it approves a flammable gas filling plant.

4. 4

   Collect the local clearances

   PESO's guidelines ask flammable and toxic gas premises for fire, pollution board and panchayat clearances. The District Magistrate's NOC under rule 48 ended on 5 June 2026; Form C's undertaking on revenue, fire and local clearances remains.

5. 5

   Apply in Form C

   Send four copies of the approved plans, proof of lawful possession, the fee, the undertaking, a HAZOP study or disaster management plan for toxic, corrosive or flammable gas, and an SOP for toxic gas handling.

6. 6

   Inspection and endorsement

   A Circle or Sub-Circle officer inspects; the licence runs from the date it is endorsed (rule 50(4)), or the defects are sent back for rectification (rule 50(5)).

7. 7

   Keep it renewed

   Apply before expiry and the licence is deemed in force until decided; renewals go up to 10 years at a time if there has been no contravention (rule 55).

Rule 44: how many gas cylinders you can keep without a licence

Rule 43 makes a licence the default for filling or possessing filled cylinders. Rule 44 lists the exceptions, and the amendments of 2025 and 2026 did not change it.

So a hospital may hold up to 200 cylinders of oxygen, nitrogen or CO2 for its own use, a welding shop 25 acetylene cylinders, and a laboratory 5 cylinders of a toxic gas, unlicensed. Clause (a) also frees a carrier in transit. Clause (c) names 100 kg of LPG at an oil company dealer's sales room, and a proviso frees LPG cylinders piped to a manifold built to IS 6044 Part 1 within its limits; kitchens are on the restaurants page. Anything kept for sale or trading is outside rule 44 whatever the quantity, and rule 18(8) says a working place is not a storage place for licensing.

Does your premises need a Gas Cylinders Rules licence? 11 cases

Start with what the cylinders are for, then the gas class and the count. A PESO licence and a state fire NOC are separate papers.

1. If A hospital keeps 150 oxygen cylinders for its own patients

   No licence: non-flammable non-toxic gas up to 200 cylinders is exempt under rule 44(b)(ii). Fire NOC for Hospital 1Gas Cylinders Rules

2. If The same hospital grows to 260 oxygen cylinders

   Form F from a PESO Circle office: Rs 2,000 a year for up to 500 non-flammable cylinders. 2G.S.R. 386(E) of 2025

3. If A fabrication workshop keeps 20 acetylene and 20 oxygen cylinders

   No licence on Flamekite's reading: each class sits under its own limit, 25 acetylene and 200 non-flammable. Confirm with the Controller if you hold several classes near their limits. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

4. If A laboratory keeps 6 cylinders of a toxic gas such as chlorine or ammonia

   Form F: the toxic exemption stops at 5 cylinders, and the shed needs 3 m clear, a 2 m fence and a partition from other gases. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

5. If A restaurant kitchen runs on LPG

   Own-use flammable gas up to 25 cylinders or 200 kg, whichever is less, or an IS 6044 manifold within its limits, needs no PESO licence. Fire NOC for Restaurant 15Gas Cylinders Rules

6. If A shop sells even a few filled cylinders of any gas

   Sale or trading is outside rule 44: Form F, and rule 10 bars suppliers from delivering to anyone not licensed or exempt. Fire NOC for Shop 1Gas Cylinders Rules

7. If An LPG distributor runs a godown

   Form F from a PESO Sub-Circle office, with the LPG shed conditions and the state's fire paper. Fire NOC for LPG Godown 9PESO GCR SOP

8. If A plant fills oxygen and nitrogen into cylinders

   Form E with an attached Form F store: Rs 5,000 a year for each type of gas, so Rs 10,000 for two. Fire NOC for Industry and MSME 2G.S.R. 386(E) of 2025

9. If A fuel station adds CNG dispensing

   Form G from a Circle office at Rs 10,000 a year, on top of the petrol licence. Fire NOC for Petrol Pump 9PESO GCR SOP

10. If A mine or port wants a CNG mobile refuelling unit

    Since 21 September 2026: an authorised city gas company's MRU under Form G condition 22, for approved vehicles only, never public retail. 6G.S.R. 831(E) of 2026

11. If The premises is in Assam and stores oxygen, hydrogen, chlorine or ammonia

    The state fire NOC for gas storage is applied for on its own Form II, apart from the PESO licence. Fire NOC Assam 2026 16Sewa Setu Assam

Gas Cylinders Rules definitions: compressed, permanent and toxic gas

Which licence line and which test applies depends on how rule 2 classes the gas. These 10 definitions decide most files.

CCompressed gas

Any permanent, liquefiable or dissolved gas or mixture above 2.5 kgf/cm² absolute at 15 °C or 3 kgf/cm² absolute at 50 °C, cryogenic liquids included. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

PPermanent gas

A gas with a critical temperature below -10 °C, which no pressure can liquefy above that: oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, argon. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

HHigh and low pressure liquefiable gas

Critical temperature between -10 °C and +70 °C (high pressure, such as CO2) or above +70 °C (low pressure, such as LPG or ammonia). 1Gas Cylinders Rules

FFlammable gas

A gas that is flammable in a mixture of 13% or less with air, or whose flammable range with air is wider than 12 percentage points. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

TToxic gas

A gas whose maximum allowable concentration for breathing is 100 mg/m³ or less at 15 °C and 1 kgf/cm² absolute. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

DDissolved acetylene cylinder

A cylinder filled with a porous mass of 75% to 92% porosity and a solvent such as acetone, holding acetylene at no more than 16 kgf/cm² at 15 °C. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

GGas cylinder

A closed metal container of more than 500 ml and up to 1,000 litres, or up to 3,000 litres for CNG, hydrogen, nitrogen and air within the diameter limits; a larger vessel is outside these Rules. 8G.S.R. 839(E) of 2025

CCryogenic container

A double-walled insulated container of 500 ml to 1,000 litres for a liquid that boils below -150 °C, such as liquid oxygen or nitrogen. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

MManufacture of gas

Filling a cylinder with any compressed gas, including transferring gas from one cylinder to another; it needs a Form E licence. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

CCylinder testing station

Premises recognised by PESO for the periodic examination and hydrostatic testing of cylinders; first approved for 1 year, then up to 10. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

Which PESO office licenses which gas under the Gas Cylinders Rules

PESO's guidelines split the work between Nagpur and its regional offices by gas and licence. A state fire service and the police sit beside them.

• Nagpur

  Chief Controller of Explosives

  Form D imports, approval of cylinder, valve and regulator makers, Form E and F licences and amendments for toxic and flammable gases, and Form H for hydrogen. 9PESO GCR SOP

• Circle offices

  Joint and Deputy Chief Controllers in the circles

  Form E and F licences for non-toxic non-flammable gases, every stand-alone Form F except LPG godowns, Form G for CNG, and approval of cylinder testing stations. 9PESO GCR SOP

• Sub-Circle offices

  Controllers in the sub-circles

  Form F licences and amendments for LPG godowns, inspection of testing stations, and the inspection and endorsement of licences before they take effect. 9PESO GCR SOP

• District

  District Magistrate and police

  Inspection, search and seizure powers in their districts under rule 71 (police from Sub-Inspector up); the rule 48 NOC role ended on 5 June 2026. 5G.S.R. 447(E) of 2026

• State

  State fire service

  Its own fire NOC or licence under the state fire Act, which Form C's undertaking makes you declare; Assam, for one, has a separate gas storage form. 16Sewa Setu Assam

Gas Cylinders Rules fees for oxygen, acetylene and industrial gases: Schedule V 2025

G.S.R. 386(E) substituted Schedule V on 9 June 2025. These lines were proof-read off the gazette page images; LPG bands are on the LPG godown page. Fees are per year of the licence.

Storage shed rules for non-LPG gas cylinders: 13 conditions

Rules 15, 21 and 22 and the Form F conditions that apply to oxygen, acetylene, CO2, hydrogen, toxic and industrial gas sheds. A PESO officer checks each before endorsing the licence.

Gas cylinder colour codes in India: IS 4379, IS 3933 and rule 8

Rule 8 makes the filler paint every cylinder to IS 4379 (industrial), IS 3933 (medical) or the fire extinguisher standards before it is stored or sent out. Colours were read off the standards' page images; numbers are IS 5 shade numbers.

IS 4379 covers industrial cylinders up to 130 litres, with bands at least a quarter of the cylinder's diameter wide; IS 3933 carries the valve-end colour down to the shoulder. Flamekite read the public copies of the 1981 and 1966 editions; whether BIS has issued later editions was not checked. Rule 8(3) bars anyone from changing a cylinder's colour except to repaint it for maintenance or an approved conversion.

Cylinder hydrotest under rule 35 and Schedule IV, step by step

Rule 35 bars filling a cylinder whose periodic test is overdue; the interval itself sits in IS 15975, not in the Rules. Schedule IV sets how a recognised testing station does the test.

The Gas Cylinders Rules in numbers

The limits, pressures and periods printed in the Rules and their 2025 and 2026 amendments.

• 200

  Non-flammable non-toxic cylinders kept for own use without a licence 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• 5

  Toxic gas cylinders kept for own use without a licence 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• 1,000 litres

  Largest gas cylinder, 3,000 litres for CNG, hydrogen, nitrogen and air 8G.S.R. 839(E) of 2025

• 30 seconds

  Least time test pressure is held in a hydrostatic test 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• 5 %

  Tare weight loss that condemns a cylinder 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• 20 years

  Service life of CNG cylinders; 15 years for steel auto LPG containers 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• 2 years

  Longest gap between porous-mass checks in an acetylene cylinder; 1 year for loose mass 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• 11

  Amendments notified from 2018 to 21 September 2026 6G.S.R. 831(E) of 2026

Filling and handling gas cylinders: 7 dos and 7 don'ts from the Rules

Chapter II of the Rules applies to everyone who handles a cylinder, licensed or not. Each line cites its rule.

Transporting gas cylinders under Schedule VI: 8 mistakes and the rule

Rule 20 makes every load of filled cylinders follow Schedule VI, besides the motor vehicle and dangerous goods laws.

Every amendment to the Gas Cylinders Rules, 2016 to 2026

The gazette note to G.S.R. 831(E) lists 10 amending notifications before it. Three from 2018 and 2019 could not be found online; the rest were read.

1. 22 November 2016

   G.S.R. 1081(E): the Gas Cylinders Rules, 2016 replace the 2004 Rules, in force on publication. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

2. 27 February and 15 March 2018

   G.S.R. 189(E) and G.S.R. 231(E) amend the Rules; their texts were not found online. 6G.S.R. 831(E) of 2026

3. 23 January 2019

   G.S.R. 44(E) amends the Rules; text not found online. 6G.S.R. 831(E) of 2026

4. 20 January 2022

   G.S.R. 44(E): high pressure and cryogenic non-flammable gas cylinders get a tamper-proof bar code, RFID or QR mark; oxygen cylinders within 6 months (from a law report). 17SCC Onlinenews report

5. 11 April 2025

   G.S.R. 225(E): Form H for hydrogen dispensing, fees and documents online only (rules 47A, 47B), cascade distances of 3, 5 and 10 m in Form E. 3G.S.R. 225(E) of 2025

6. 9 June 2025

   G.S.R. 386(E): Schedule V substituted, with half fees for micro and small enterprises and startups and a fifth for women entrepreneurs. 2G.S.R. 386(E) of 2025

7. 28 July 2025

   G.S.R. 501(E): materials to IS/ISO 11114, a CGA PS-46 roof for hydrogen storage, hydrogen embrittlement tests in rule 35(5). 7G.S.R. 501(E) of 2025

8. 12 November 2025

   G.S.R. 839(E): a cylinder is 500 ml to 1,000 litres, or up to 3,000 litres for hydrogen and CNG within 80 cm diameter. 8G.S.R. 839(E) of 2025

9. 27 April 2026

   G.S.R. 315(E): defence and space imports, no landing permission for empty valveless cylinders, rule 48(3)(b) widened to other flammable gases. 4G.S.R. 315(E) of 2026

10. 5 June 2026

    G.S.R. 447(E): rule 48, the District Authority NOC, omitted with its Form C item; Form F condition 8A for racked industrial cylinders. 5G.S.R. 447(E) of 2026

11. 21 September 2026

    G.S.R. 831(E), published 23 September: Form G condition 22 on CNG and CBG Mobile Refuelling Units for mines, ports, railways and vessels. 6G.S.R. 831(E) of 2026

Four premises worked through: hospital, workshop, dealer and plant

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

Flamekite's arithmetic from rule 44, Schedule V and the Form F conditions, for the cylinder users who search these rules most.

1. Case 1

   Hospital, 260 medical oxygen cylinders

   A hospital keeps 260 filled oxygen cylinders for its own wards, past the 200-cylinder exemption.

   What applies Form F from the PESO Circle office for non-toxic non-flammable gas: Rs 2,000 a year, Rs 1,000 if it is a registered small enterprise. Cylinders painted black with a white valve end, no oil on valves, and the fire NOC for the building still comes from the state. 2G.S.R. 386(E) of 2025

2. Case 2

   Fabrication workshop, 30 acetylene and 40 oxygen

   A workshop keeps 30 acetylene and 40 oxygen cylinders for its own welding.

   What applies Acetylene is over the 25-cylinder exemption, so Form F at Rs 2,000 a year for up to 200 cylinders. The acetylene shed keeps 3 m clear inside a 2 m fence and stays 1 m from the oxygen or behind a fire-resisting wall; acetylene goes out only in open vehicles. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

3. Case 3

   Gas dealer, 300 oxygen, 150 acetylene, 50 hydrogen

   A trader sells filled industrial cylinders from a yard.

   What applies Sale takes it out of rule 44 entirely. Form F charged line by line: Rs 2,000 for non-flammable up to 500, Rs 2,000 for acetylene up to 200, Rs 2,000 for flammable up to 100, so Rs 6,000 a year. Hydrogen and acetylene sheds 3 m clear and fenced; Circle office. 2G.S.R. 386(E) of 2025

4. Case 4

   Oxygen and nitrogen filling plant

   An air separation unit fills oxygen and nitrogen cylinders for sale.

   What applies Form E for 2 gas types, Rs 5,000 each, so Rs 10,000 a year, granted by a Circle office as both gases are non-toxic non-flammable. Each cylinder checked for colour, test date and owner's consent before filling; separate filling apparatus for each gas. 9PESO GCR SOP

Gas Cylinders Rules penalties under the Explosives Act, 1884

The Rules carry no fines of their own: section 9B of the Explosives Act punishes breaches, and PESO can suspend or cancel the licence. Neither Jan Vishwas Act changed these amounts.

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (No. 8 of 2026) and the 2023 Act decriminalised offences in other Acts; neither Schedule lists the Explosives Act, 1884. India Code's copy of the Act would not download on 25 October 2026, so the section 9B amounts come from a legal-database copy of the bare Act.

Gas cylinder rule myths, checked against the 2026 text

Six claims that circulate among cylinder users and on compliance sites, against the Rules as amended to 21 September 2026.

• You may have read

  A hospital needs a PESO licence for any oxygen cylinder it keeps.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Own-use non-flammable non-toxic gas is exempt up to 200 cylinders at a time (rule 44(b)(ii)); a licence starts above that, or for any sale. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• You may have read

  The Gas Cylinders Rules set a 5-year hydrotest for every cylinder.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Rule 35 prints no interval: it points to IS 15975 or the Chief Controller's written approval. The Rules fix only a few periods, such as the 2-year porous-mass check for acetylene. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• You may have read

  The Jan Vishwas Act of 2026 raised the fines for gas cylinder offences.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Its Schedule amends other Acts and does not list the Explosives Act, 1884; section 9B's amounts stand. 12Jan Vishwas Act 2026

• You may have read

  A CO2 extinguisher suits a gas fire in an acetylene plant.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Form E's acetylene conditions bar CO2 extinguishers on flammable gas fires because of static, and ask for dry chemical powder at strategic points. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• You may have read

  A filler can repaint a cylinder and use it for another gas.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Rule 8(3) bars changing a cylinder's colour, and rule 28 needs the Chief Controller's approval to convert, except oxygen, inert gas and air cylinders of the same design converted under ISO 11621. 1Gas Cylinders Rules

• You may have read

  Since September 2026 CNG can be sold from a mobile unit anywhere.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  G.S.R. 831(E) allows mobile refuelling only for approved vehicles in mines, ports, railways, vessels and test labs, and bars public retail on roads, parking areas and basements. 6G.S.R. 831(E) of 2026

Where to read and file under the Gas Cylinders Rules: 3 official sites

Licences are filed online since April 2025; amendments appear first in the Gazette.

• Licences

  PESO Online

  Register, file Form C with plans and documents, pay Schedule V fees and track or renew Forms E, F, G and H. 14PESO Online

  online.peso.gov.in/PesoOnline ↗

• Guidance

  PESO guidelines for licences under the Gas Cylinders Rules

  PESO's 32-page SOP: which office grants which licence, the document lists and the safety distance tables; it predates the June 2026 omission of rule 48. 9PESO GCR SOP

  peso.gov.in/web/sites/default/files/2025-01/GCR%20SOP.pdf ↗

• Amendments

  eGazette of India

  The official text of every amendment, such as G.S.R. 447(E) and G.S.R. 831(E) of 2026; search by G.S.R. number or ministry. 6G.S.R. 831(E) of 2026

  egazette.gov.in ↗

What Flamekite could not confirm about the Gas Cylinders Rules