The permanent stamp on the cylinder neck is the primary means of identifying the contents of a gas cylinder. The distinctive colour and a label on the cylinder neck also help to identify the cylinders.
The name of the gas is always stamped on the cylinder shoulder. The labels also contain information about the manufacturer, inspections, weight, pressure and volume, and meet the requirements of the SFS-EN 13769 standard.
The colour of the cylinder indicates the product group as follows:
| industrial gas - graphite grey (RAL 7024) | |
| medical gas - white valkoinen (RAL 9010) |
If an identifying colour has been designated for a certain gas, the colour of the cylinder shoulder indicates the content:
| acetylene - oxide red, RAL 3009 | |
| helium - olive brown, RAL 8008 | |
| oxygen - pure white, RAL 9010 | |
| nitrous oxide - gentian blue, RAL 5010 | |
| argon - emerald green, RAL 6001 | |
| nitrogen - jet black, RAL 9005 | |
| carbon dioxide -dusty grey, RAL 7037 |
If no identifying colour has been designated for a certain gas, the colour of the cylinder shoulder indicates the gas properties:
| toxic - zinc yellow, RAL 1018 | |
| flammable - flame red, RAL 3000 | |
| oxidising - light blue, RAL 5012 | |
| inert - turquoiset green, RAL 6016 |
In addition, a neck ring can be used as a further recognition aid (to indicate the purity level, special application, or similar).
The colour of the cylinder body (except for propane) meets the requirements of the EN 1089-3 standard.
Gases: yellow
Medical gases: white
The label indicates the name of the gas, the possible trade name, and safety instructions.
