Gas cylinder cabinets for LPG and other gas cylinders

Gas cylinder cabinets for LPG and other gas cylinders

Which gas cylinder cabinet do I need?

Three things decide:

• How much gas. It is counted in litres of container volume, not in kilos of LPG. A Swedish P11 cylinder is about 26 litres.
• Where the cabinet will stand. Outdoors against a wall, outdoors some distance from the building, or indoors.
• Whether the premises are public. Places the public can enter, such as restaurants, schools and shops, have stricter limits.

Broadly there are two kinds of gas cabinet. A lockable, ventilated steel cabinet protects the cylinders from weather and unauthorised access, but has no fire rating. A fire rated cabinet equivalent to EI 30 or EI 60 also acts as fire separation, and can stand where an ordinary steel cabinet may not.

The Placement filter shows whether a cabinet is made for outdoor or indoor use, and the Fire rating filter shows which cabinets are equivalent to EI 30 or EI 60.

Size guide for gas cylinders

Start from the cylinders. The table shows approximate dimensions of the most common LPG cylinders in Sweden. Dimensions can differ by a few millimetres between suppliers.

Cylinder	Appearance	Height (mm)	Diameter (mm)
PK5		385	305
PK6		411	301
PK10		575	305
PA6		500	250
PA11		615	300
P6		450	300
P11		600	300
M16		720	320
P19		830	320
P45		1,280	380

The size guide is also available as a printable PDF (in Swedish).

Compare with the cabinet's internal dimensions on the product page, and allow room for hose and regulator if the cylinders are to be connected.

Then measure the space and filter on Outer height in mm, Outer width in mm and Outer depth in mm. Fire rated cabinets and containers are heavy, and the base needs to take the weight shown on the product page.

Gas cylinder cabinets outdoors

Outdoors is the most common place for LPG cylinders, and a lockable steel cabinet is the simplest way. The cabinet should be ventilated, and the cylinders should stand upright and be secured against tipping over.

If the cabinet stands against a fire separating external wall, the wall's fire rating may be counted, according to the general advice to the Swedish regulation MSBFS 2020:1. Windows, doors and vents in the wall can break the separation, and then distance to them is needed.

In public premises up to 60 litres may stand outdoors without distance to the building, if the cylinders are at least 3 metres from openings to the public parts of the premises and emergency exits. In a locked steel cabinet, 1 metre is enough.

If the wall has no fire rating, or there is little room to openings, a fire rated cabinet is the next step. There are fire rated cabinets for outdoor use. Some of them must stand under a roof, protected from rain and snow.

The cabinets for outdoor use are found under outdoor in the Placement filter.

Gas cabinets indoors and fire rated cabinets

A fire rated gas cabinet can stand directly against a wall, regardless of the wall's fire rating and openings in it. The general advice to MSBFS 2020:1 says so for cabinets rated equivalent to at least EI 30 or EI 60.

• EI 30 is enough up to 250 litres according to the advice tables.
• EI 60 is enough up to 1,200 litres.

The Swedish authority's handbook on professional gas handling recommends at least 1 metre between the cabinet's vents and openings in the facade when an EI 60 cabinet stands right against the wall.

Indoors, special conditions apply. The space must be ventilated to the open air, and in public premises a permit is required above 2 litres of gas indoors. If you want gas cylinders indoors, ask the fire and rescue service before you buy a cabinet.

Cabinets made for indoor use are found under indoor in the Placement filter. They have vent connections that run straight out through an external wall.

How much LPG can you keep without a permit?

In Sweden the limits are set in MSBFS 2013:3. Above them a permit from the municipality is required, usually the fire and rescue service. The amount is the largest volume on site at any one time. Other countries have their own rules.

Associations count as businesses, not as private. A restaurant with an LPG cooker indoors counts as indoors, even if the cylinders stand outside.

The regulations were checked in September 2026. They are issued by the Swedish Agency for Civil Defence (MCF), known as MSB until 2026. Older references to SÄIFS 1998:7 no longer apply.

LPG at home: houses and flats

MSBFS 2020:1 has rules of its own for homes, and they are requirements, not advice:

• Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses: no container larger than 30 litres. A P11 is within the limit.
• Blocks of flats with more than one storey: indoors at most 5 litres per container. Containers up to 30 litres may stand outdoors, or in a separate space that is its own EI 60 fire compartment ventilated directly to the open air.
• Attics, cellars, storerooms and garages in blocks of flats: no LPG containers at all.

A lockable steel cabinet outdoors is one way to keep the LPG for a barbecue or patio heater protected from weather and children.

Ventilation

The space where gas cylinders are stored must be ventilated, so that leaking gas does not collect. The general advice recommends vents of at least 1 % of the floor area, both high and low. In a cabinet the vents may be on the same side.

The outdoor steel cabinets are ventilated through openings in the cabinet. Fire rated cabinets have vent spigots that can be connected to a duct to the open air. The outlet should be at least 1 metre from windows, doors and other openings.

If the cabinet stands in a cellar or basement passage, mechanical ventilation is required.

Signage

Above 30 litres of gas the storage place must have signs, according to MSBFS 2020:1. For private individuals the requirement starts above 60 litres of LPG. The signs are:

• No smoking or open flames
• Warning, flammable material
• Warning, gas under pressure, with the text Gasflaskor - förs i säkerhet vid brandfara (Gas cylinders - remove to safety in case of fire)

The signs must withstand impact and weather, and be removed when the gas is no longer there.

How to use the filter

Start with Placement: outdoor or indoor.

Then Outer height in mm, Outer width in mm and Outer depth in mm for the space.

If the cabinet needs a fire rating, for example to stand against a wall without a fire rating or close to openings, choose EI30 or EI60 in the Fire rating filter. Choose No fire rating for an ordinary steel cabinet.

Can't find the right one? Call us on +46 770 22 01 22. We would rather help before you buy than after.