Carrying gas cylinders in a van or lorry
Propane, acetylene and oxygen: how to work out the quantity, what applies in a closed van and how the cylinders must be secured.
In this guide
Propane for the roofer, acetylene and oxygen for the welder, LPG for a site heater: gas cylinders ride in vans and lorries every day. Often it's only a handful, and ADR asks for no orange plates and no ADR card. A few rules still apply, though, and they're the ones people tend to forget when the cylinders go in the back of a closed panel van.
Category and quantity: how cylinders count
Whether a load falls under the ADR 1.1.3.6 exemption depends on the transport category in Chapter 3.2, Table A, column (15), and on the quantity. For the usual cylinder gases, Table A gives:
| Gas | Category | Labels | Quantity in the sum |
|---|---|---|---|
| PROPANE (UN 1978) | 2 | 2.1 | net mass in kg |
| HYDROCARBON GAS MIXTURE, LIQUEFIED, N.O.S. (UN 1965), the entry usually used for LPG | 2 | 2.1 | net mass in kg |
| ACETYLENE, DISSOLVED (UN 1001) | 2 | 2.1 | net mass in kg |
| OXYGEN, COMPRESSED (UN 1072) | 3 | 2.2 + 5.1 | water capacity in litres |
Liquefied and dissolved gases count by net mass. Compressed gases count by the water capacity of the receptacle (ADR 1.1.3.6.3). Acetylene is where people slip up. The cylinder looks much like an oxygen cylinder, but the gas inside is dissolved, not compressed. So you work in kilograms with the category 2 multiplier of 3, not in litres of capacity.
On its own, category 2 allows up to 333 kg and category 3 up to 1,000 litres. With a mixed load, take the category 2 quantity times 3, add the category 3 quantity times 1, and stay at or below 1,000 points (ADR 1.1.3.6.4). Our guide to the 1,000 points rule walks through the calculation step by step.
Example: a plumber carries two 11 kg propane cylinders (22 kg × 3 = 66 points), one acetylene cylinder holding, say, 8 kg of gas (8 × 3 = 24 points) and one oxygen cylinder with a 50-litre water capacity (50 × 1 = 50 points). That's 140 points in total, well under the limit.
Closed load space: ventilation and the door marking
For all four gases, column (18) of Table A points to special provision CV36. Packages should preferably go in open or ventilated vehicles. If that isn't possible and you use a closed van, two rules apply (ADR 7.5.11, CV36):
- gas must not be able to pass between the load compartment and the driver's cab,
- the load doors must carry the marking "WARNING NO VENTILATION OPEN WITH CAUTION" in letters at least 25 mm high, in a language the consignor considers appropriate.
The 1.1.3.6 exemption doesn't get you out of this. The only provision in 7.5.11 it removes is CV1 (ADR 1.1.3.6.2), so CV36 applies even to two cylinders in a van. S2 (1) stays as well: you may only enter the load compartment of a closed vehicle carrying flammable gases with portable lighting that can't ignite any gas that has leaked (ADR 8.5, S2 (1)).
Securing cylinders and protecting valves
Special provisions CV9 and CV10 apply to all four gases, whatever the quantity (ADR 7.5.11):
- Cylinders must not be thrown or knocked. They have to be loaded so they can't fall over or drop (CV9).
- Cylinders lying down go parallel to or across the vehicle's length, and across it near the front wall. They must be wedged, lashed or chocked so they can't shift (CV10).
- Short, wide cylinders of about 30 cm diameter or more may lie lengthways, with the valve protection facing the middle of the vehicle (CV10).
- Cylinders may stand upright if they're stable enough or carried in a frame or rack that stops them toppling (CV10).
General load securing applies too. Straps, brackets or dunnage have to stop the cylinders moving or getting damaged, and securing to EN 12195-1:2010 meets that requirement (ADR 7.5.7.1).
Valves must either withstand damage without leaking or be protected, for example by a cap with vent holes, a protective collar or shroud, a frame or a protective crate (ADR 4.1.6.8). If the cylinder has a cap, it goes back on, even for a short run.
Labels and mixed loading
Each cylinder shows its UN number and the danger labels from column (5) of Table A. Propane, LPG and acetylene take label 2.1 (flammable gas). Oxygen takes 2.2 plus 5.1, because it's an oxidizer. On cylinders the labels may be reduced in size to ISO 7225 and placed on the shoulder (ADR 5.2.2.2.1.2).
Fuel gas and oxygen can travel on the same vehicle. The table in ADR 7.5.2.1 allows packages labelled 2.1, 2.2 and 5.1 to be loaded together, and it sets no separation distance. You don't need placards on the vehicle for gas cylinders: for packages, Chapter 5.3 only requires them for Classes 1 and 7 (ADR 5.3.1.5).
When the driver needs an ADR card
Up to 1,000 points you can drop, among other things, the orange plates, the instructions in writing and the driver's ADR training certificate (ADR 1.1.3.6.2). The driver then needs training under Chapter 1.3, matched to their duties (ADR 8.2.3). The transport document, a fire extinguisher with at least 2 kg of dry powder and the smoking ban during handling all remain (ADR 8.1.2.1 (a), 8.1.4.2 and 8.3.5).
Above the limit, full ADR applies. The vehicle shows orange plates front and rear (ADR 5.3.2.1.1), and the driver needs a valid ADR card with at least the basic course (ADR 8.2.1.1 and 8.2.1.2). A vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes then carries two extinguishers with at least 4 kg of powder between them (ADR 8.1.4.1).
Some gases sit outside ADR altogether. That covers gas in the fuel tank the vehicle runs on, or that powers equipment used during the journey, such as a refrigeration unit. It also covers gas in the vehicle's own fire extinguishers and in cooling or heating equipment that runs during carriage, along with spare receptacles (ADR 1.1.3.2 (a), (d) and (e)). A propane cylinder for a roofing torch isn't one of them. It's part of the load.
Practise cylinder questions
Gas cylinders come up a lot in the ADR exam: the 1.1.3.6 calculation, CV36, mixed loading. In the free test you get an explanation and the ADR reference after every answer. The app has more questions on Class 2 and exemptions.
Sources
ADR 2025: sub-sections 1.1.3.2 and 1.1.3.6, Chapter 3.2, Table A (UN 1001, 1072, 1965, 1978, columns (5), (15), (18) and (19)), 4.1.6.8, 5.2.2.2.1.2, 5.3.1.5 and 5.3.2.1, 7.5.2.1, 7.5.7.1 and section 7.5.11 (CV9, CV10, CV36), sections 8.1.2, 8.1.4, 8.2.1, 8.2.3, 8.3.5 and Chapter 8.5 (S2). In Great Britain, the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 set the legal framework and include national exemptions, which this guide doesn't cover (HSE guidance on ADR and the CDG Regulations). This guide explains the basics. For an actual load, the wording of ADR is what counts.
Updated: 3 October 2026