What Airgas Dry Ice does

Airgas Dry Ice is the commercial dry ice production and distribution division of Airgas, Inc., itself a U.S. subsidiary of the French industrial gas major Air Liquide. The unit produces and distributes dry ice (solid CO2) for B2B customers across four primary use cases: food production and processing, life sciences and healthcare cold chain, shipping and home delivery of perishables, and industrial dry ice blasting. Its core infrastructure consists of 15 production facilities and 50 distribution points strategically positioned across the United States, paired with dedicated transportation designed to manage the product's continuous sublimation.

Airgas Dry Ice differentiates on procedural quality controls rather than novel chemistry. Key proprietary practices include metal detection during production to reduce foreign material contamination risk, first-in, first-out box rotation to minimize sublimation losses, stainless steel-lined shipping containers aligned with food safety initiatives, digital proof-of-delivery receipts, and strict chain-of-custody protocols supporting traceability from plant to customer. The product portfolio is organized around industry-specific service modules (Food Production & Processing, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Shipping & Home Delivery, Dry Ice Blasting) plus a retail-facing sub-brand, Penguin Brand Dry Ice®, distributed through third-party retailers and its own e-commerce flow.

Revenue is generated via unit-based commercial pricing, quote-driven for B2B accounts and itemized at checkout for online and guest users; specific price points are not publicly disclosed (and California-bound pricing is masked until checkout per CA SB 478). The go-to-market is enterprise field sales with an overlay of direct account management and an Airgas.com e-commerce storefront. Customers span food processors, life sciences and pharma operators, last-mile delivery providers, and industrial cleaning contractors using Cold Jet blasting equipment, supplied jointly under a partnership with Cold Jet. No revenue figures, headcount changes, funding events, or M&A activity are disclosed for the division.

Name

Airgas Dry Ice

Legal name

Airgas, Inc.

Website

https://airgasdryice.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Airgas Dry Ice is the U.S. dry ice production and distribution division of Airgas (an Air Liquide subsidiary), operating 15 production facilities and 50 distribution points nationwide. It supplies commercial dry ice to food processors, life sciences and healthcare operators, shipping and home-delivery logistics providers, and industrial dry ice blasting customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrenceville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dry Ice Products: Sale of commercial dry ice products including pellets for various industrial, food, healthcare, and shipping applications. Revenue is generated through unit-based pricing with regular reorders from commercial customers. Distribution occurs through 15 production facilities and 50 distribution points nationwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Airgas Dry Ice produces and distributes commercial dry ice (pellets and related formats) to U.S. businesses across four application areas: food production and processing, shipping and home delivery of perishables, life sciences and healthcare cold-chain needs, and dry ice blasting for industrial cleaning. It operates 15 production facilities and 50 distribution points across the United States and uses proprietary quality-control practices (metal detection, FIFO box rotation, stainless steel-lined containers, chain-of-custody protocols, and digital proof of delivery) to deliver traceable, food-safety compliant dry ice to commercial customers.

Product overview

Airgas Dry Ice is a commercial dry ice supply service operated by Airgas (an Air Liquide company) as the nation's premier dry ice distributor. The offering consists of the core Airgas Dry Ice service supplemented by industry-specific modules: Food Production & Processing (with proprietary foreign material reduction processes), Shipping & Home Delivery (for logistical cold chain needs), Life Sciences & Healthcare (with compliance focus), and Dry Ice Blasting (featuring Cold Jet equipment rentals). The portfolio also includes the Penguin Brand Dry Ice sub-brand for retail distribution. The service operates through 15 production facilities and 50 distribution points strategically located across the U.S.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Penguin Brand Dry Ice®: Retail dry ice brand available through distributors, with dedicated website penguindryice.com for finding retail locations and distributor information.

Products and services

• Airgas Dry Ice commercial supply service Core commercial dry ice production and distribution service positioned as the nation's premier dry ice distributor, delivering reliable dry ice supply to U.S. businesses across food, life sciences, shipping, and industrial cleaning sectors through 15 production facilities and 50 distribution points.
• Dry Ice for Food Production & Processing Specialized dry ice supply service for food production and processing industries featuring proprietary processes that reduce the risk of foreign materials, including metal detection quality control and traceable, food-safety compliant containers.
• Dry Ice for Shipping & Home Delivery Dry ice supply service targeting timely distribution and home delivery logistics, helping businesses maintain cold chain integrity for perishable goods such as food and pharmaceuticals during transit.
• Dry Ice for Life Sciences & Healthcare Dry ice solutions for life sciences and healthcare sectors with an emphasis on efficiency and compliance to support lean teams in cold storage, biological sample preservation, and pharmaceutical supply chain operations.
• Dry Ice Blasting (Cold Jet) Industrial cleaning solution bundling Cold Jet dry ice blasting equipment rentals with compatible Airgas dry ice pellets, enabling solvent-free cleaning and surface preparation for industrial and manufacturing customers.
• Penguin Brand Dry Ice® Registered retail dry ice brand distributed through a network of distributors and promoted via penguindryice.com, offering retail-packaged dry ice for general consumer and small-business pickup.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sublimation greatly reduced through first-in, first-out box rotation practices

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cold JetcoreTechnology or IntegrationCold Jet is a provider of dry ice blasting equipment. Airgas Dry Ice offers Cold Jet equipment rentals and compatible dry ice pellets for customers requiring industrial cleaning services. This partnership enables Airgas to provide complete dry ice blasting solutions including equipment and consumables.
• Penguin Brand Dry IcecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPenguin Brand Dry Ice is a retail dry ice brand. Airgas distributes Penguin Brand Dry Ice through their retail and commercial channels. Airgas promotes penguindryice.com for finding retail locations and becoming a distributor.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Continental Carbonic Products: Continental Carbonic Products is one of the largest dedicated dry ice producers in the United States, operating multiple production plants and serving food, shipping, and industrial customers. It is the closest like-for-like competitor to Airgas Dry Ice by product mix (dry ice pellets, blocks, blasting consumables) and customer verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Air Products and Chemicals: Air Products is a global industrial gas major that produces merchant CO2 and supplies dry ice as part of its broader gas portfolio. It competes with Airgas Dry Ice in industrial gas and dry ice distribution across overlapping geographies and customer accounts, including foodservice, food processing, and life sciences.
• Linde plc: Linde (formed via the Praxair–Linde merger) is the world's largest industrial gases company and supplies CO2 and dry ice alongside oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and specialty gases. It competes with Airgas Dry Ice across packaged gas and food/healthcare cold-chain accounts through its national branch network in the United States.
• MATHESON Tri-Gas: MATHESON is the U.S. operating subsidiary of Nippon Sanso Holdings and supplies industrial, medical, and specialty gases including CO2 and dry ice. It competes with Airgas Dry Ice through national distribution, food and pharmaceutical customer accounts, and packaged gas supply programs.
• Messer Americas: Messer Americas is a privately held industrial gas producer operating CO2 and dry ice capacity across the United States. It is a broad-line competitor to Airgas Dry Ice, addressing food, beverage, healthcare, and industrial customers from a multi-plant production network.

Others

• Cold Jet: Cold Jet is the leading manufacturer of dry ice blasting equipment and an Airgas Dry Ice technology/integration partner. While Cold Jet sells equipment rather than dry ice, the two companies sell bundled solutions into industrial cleaning accounts and both depend on the growth of dry ice blasting as a use case.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/penguindryice
• Facebookfacebook.com/dryiceideas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airgas-carbonic-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Airgas Dry Ice