CO₂ price per kilogram, litre, cubic metre or tonne: how to compare quotes
One supplier quotes per cylinder, another per kilogram, a third per cubic metre of gas. Conversion tables and the four traps that make the cheapest-looking offer the most expensive.
Three quotes for the same CO₂ arrive in three different units: hryvnia per cylinder, per kilogram and per cubic metre of gas. They cannot be compared as they stand, and the differences between them are big enough to decide the contract.
One product, three units
CO₂ travels through three states in the same supply chain. It is stored as a liquid under pressure, sold by mass, and consumed as a gas. Each stage has its own natural unit, and all of them are correct — they just measure different things.
| Unit | Equals | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kg of liquid CO₂ | ≈ 0.54 m³ of gas | at 15 °C and 1 bar |
| 1 m³ of liquid in a tank | ≈ 1.03 t | density at −20 °C and about 20 bar |
| 1 tonne | ≈ 540 m³ of gas ≈ 0.97 m³ of liquid | |
| 40 l cylinder | ≈ 24 kg ≈ 13 m³ of gas | filling ratio 0.6 kg/l |
| 30 m³ tank, 95% full | ≈ 29 t ≈ 15 700 m³ of gas |
Always convert everything to price per kilogram. Mass is the only unit that does not depend on temperature, pressure or how full the vessel is, so it is the only honest basis for comparison.
The same arithmetic for other gases
If you buy nitrogen, oxygen or argon as well, the conversion factors differ — and the difference is large. A cubic metre of liquid argon holds nearly twice the mass of a cubic metre of liquid nitrogen.
| Gas | Liquid density, kg/m³ | 1 kg gives | Boiling point at 1 bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ | ≈ 1030 (at −20 °C, 20 bar) | 0.54 m³ | −78.5 °C, sublimation |
| Nitrogen N₂ | 809 | 0.84 m³ | −196 °C |
| Oxygen O₂ | 1141 | 0.74 m³ | −183 °C |
| Argon Ar | 1394 | 0.59 m³ | −186 °C |
What a quote hides
| Supply model | Quoted in | Convert to | The trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cylinder refill | UAH per cylinder | UAH per kg | 1–2 kg heel stays in the cylinder |
| Cylinder exchange | UAH per cylinder | UAH per kg | the fleet is not yours; damage is charged to you |
| Road tanker | UAH per kg or per t | UAH per kg | minimum shipment of 5–20 t |
| Tank rental | UAH per month | add to UAH per kg | ties you to one supplier's gas price |
Four traps worth checking before you sign
- Minimum shipment. A low price per tonne is meaningless if the minimum load is 20 tonnes and you use three a month.
- Delivery included or not. For bulk gas the logistics can be a noticeable share of the price, and it depends on the distance to the filling plant.
- Boil-off during storage. A vacuum-insulated tank loses roughly 0.15–0.3% a day. At slow turnover this quietly adds several percent to the real price.
- Rental and deposits. Cylinder deposits and tank rent are not part of the price per kilogram, but they are part of the bill.
A worked comparison
A food producer uses 2.5 tonnes of CO₂ a month. Quote A: cylinder exchange, 40 l for a fixed price per cylinder. At 24 kg usable per cylinder that is 105 cylinders a month, plus 1.5 kg of heel each — about 160 kg, or 6% of the volume, paid for and never used. Quote B: tanker delivery into a customer-owned tank, priced per kilogram, minimum shipment 5 tonnes — that is a delivery every two months.
Once both are converted to hryvnia per kilogram, bulk supply is typically two to four times cheaper than cylinders. The catch is that Quote B only works if there is somewhere to put five tonnes: a 10 m³ tank holds about 9.5 t, so it takes a full delivery with room to spare.
The order in which to decide
- Convert every quote to price per kilogram, including deposits, rent and the heel.
- Check the minimum shipment against your monthly consumption.
- Work out the storage volume that a minimum shipment requires.
- Only then choose the tank and the vaporizer — the equipment follows the supply arithmetic, not the other way round.
Frequently asked questions
How many cubic metres of gas are in one kilogram of CO₂?
About 0.54 m³ at 15 °C and atmospheric pressure. The figure moves with temperature — roughly 0.51 m³ at 0 °C and 0.55 m³ at 20 °C — so a quote in cubic metres should always state the reference conditions, otherwise there is nothing to compare.
Why is bulk CO₂ so much cheaper than cylinders?
Because the cylinder price carries a whole layer of work that bulk delivery skips: filling each cylinder individually, inspecting and testing the fleet, transporting steel that weighs three times more than the gas inside it, and handling returns. A tanker moves 20 tonnes in one operation.
You may also need
Cryogenic tanks for liquid CO₂ (carbon dioxide) 10–100 m³
Cryogenic tank for liquid CO₂ 10 m³
Model: CT-CO2-10
Stationary vacuum-insulated cryogenic tank for storing liquid CO₂ (carbon dioxide), geometric volume 10 m³. Supplied with valves, pressure control, vaporizers and a pressure-reducing unit; turnkey installation available.
Price on request
Made to order
Cryogenic tanks for liquid CO₂ (carbon dioxide) 10–100 m³
Cryogenic tank for liquid CO₂ 30 m³
Model: CT-CO2-30
Stationary vacuum-insulated cryogenic tank for storing liquid CO₂ (carbon dioxide), geometric volume 30 m³. Supplied with valves, pressure control, vaporizers and a pressure-reducing unit; turnkey installation available.
Price on request
Made to order
Vaporizers (gasifiers) for liquid CO₂ — 100–1000 kg/h
CO₂ vaporizer 300 kg/h
Model: CV-CO2-300
Vaporizer for gasifying liquid carbon dioxide with a capacity of 300 kg/h, with outlet temperature control and a pressure-reducing unit. Supplied, installed and integrated into the CO₂ supply system.
Price on request
On request
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