PortaGas

What PortaGas does

PortaGas is a U.S.-based manufacturer of calibration gases and associated specialty-gas instrumentation, now operating as a product brand of Linde Gas & Equipment Inc. (itself a subsidiary of Linde plc). Originally founded in 1996 and previously branded Praxair Portagas, the business was folded into Linde after the 2018 Praxair-Linde AG merger. Its core products are the Portagreen™ line of recyclable aluminum cylinders (available in five standard sizes: 34L, 58L, 100L, 116L) and MegaCal™ extended-capacity cylinders in three additional sizes, all pre-filled with NIST-traceable calibration standard gases and individually serialized with a Certificate of Analysis. Manufacturing facilities hold ISO 9001:2015, ISO 17025:2017, and ISO 17034:2016 accreditations, and the cylinders are ISO 7866 globally approved.

The business is built on three proprietary technology pillars: a patented Strip & Ship™ return program that eliminates customer disposal fees and hazardous-waste handling; proprietary fill technologies supporting long shelf life and an "extremely low return rate"; and compact, lightweight cylinder formats (0.99–3.74 lbs, 985–1000 psi) designed for portable field calibration. Buyers are industrial hygiene, environmental monitoring, and gas-detection teams that need reference standards for instrument calibration in the field or at point-of-use.

Commercially, PortaGas generates revenue through hardware sales of cylinders and specialty gas blends, distributed entirely through Linde's infrastructure: the lindedirect.com e-commerce storefront, a store pickup network (e.g., Raleigh, NC), direct delivery to customer sites, and account-based sales via 1-800-225-8247. Pricing is unit-based, pay-as-you-go, and not publicly disclosed. End users span environmental compliance, industrial process control, and safety monitoring, with no public customer concentration disclosed.

Name

PortaGas

Legal name

Linde Gas & Equipment Inc.

Website

https://portagas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PortaGas, a Linde Gas & Equipment Inc. brand formerly Praxair Portagas, manufactures recyclable NIST-traceable calibration gas cylinders (Portagreen™ and MegaCal™ lines) for industrial hygiene, environmental monitoring, and gas-detection customers, distributed globally through Linde's e-commerce and logistics network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Calibration Gas Cylinders

NAICS

Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512), Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing (3324)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Metal Shipping Barrels, Drums, Kegs & Pails (3412)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Calibration Gas Mixtures (IMAEACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Process Gases & Gas Delivery Consumables (Specialty/Bulk/UHP) (HDAHAGAL), Gas Handling Equipment & Storage (Cylinders/Tanks/Valves) (IMAEACAL)

Keywords

• Calibration gas cylinders
• Specialty gas products
• Industrial hygiene instruments
• Environmental monitoring gases
• NIST traceable calibration

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Calibration Gas Cylinder Sales: Sale of Portagreen recyclable aluminum cylinders in five standard sizes (34L, 58L, 100L, 116L) and MegaCal variants in three sizes, pre-filled with calibration standard gases.
2. Specialty Gas Products: High-quality calibration standard gases packaged in rugged, portable cylinders designed for portability and go-anywhere deployment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PortaGas designs, fills, and sells recyclable aluminum calibration gas cylinders (Portagreen in 34L, 58L, 100L, 116L and MegaCal variants in three additional sizes) pre-loaded with NIST-traceable calibration standard gases for use with gas detection equipment, analytical instruments, safety monitoring systems, and industrial process control. The offering is differentiated by its patented Strip & Ship™ return program that eliminates hazardous-waste disposal fees and a compact, lightweight aluminum form factor supporting portable, on-site calibration work.

Product overview

Portagas, a Linde (formerly Praxair) brand, offers a portfolio of recyclable calibration gas cylinders and specialty gases. The core product line consists of Portagreen Cylinders (available in five sizes) and MegaCal Portagreen Cylinders (available in three sizes), both designed as sustainable alternatives to standard calibration cylinders. These are complemented by high-quality calibration standard gases with long shelf life, all supported by the proprietary Strip & Ship return program for easy cylinder disposal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Portagreen: Line of recyclable and sustainable calibration gas cylinders available in five standard sizes and three MegaCal sizes, designed to reduce carbon footprint and eliminate hazardous waste disposal concerns.
• MegaCal

Products and services

• Portagreen Cylinders Recyclable aluminum calibration gas cylinders in five sizes (34L, 58L, 100L, 116L) sold to industrial hygiene, environmental monitoring, and analytical instrument users; ISO 7866 globally approved and designed for portable deployment with a no-fee return program.
• MegaCal Portagreen Cylinders High-capacity recyclable aluminum calibration gas cylinders in three sizes, extending the Portagreen product line for users needing larger gas volumes per cylinder while retaining sustainability benefits.
• Calibration Standard Gases Pre-mixed calibration standard gases supplied inside Portagreen cylinders for gas detection, analytical, safety monitoring, and process control applications; backed by NIST traceability and ISO 9001:2015 / ISO 17025:2017 / ISO 17034:2016 manufacturing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Extremely low return rate
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MATHESON Tri-Gas: US arm of Taiyo Nippon Sanso; supplies calibration gas mixtures, NIST-traceable standards, and specialty gases packaged in cylinders to the same industrial hygiene and analytical instrumentation customers.
• Scott Specialty Gases: Now part of Air Liquide, Scott Specialty Gases is a long-standing calibration and specialty gas brand offering certified reference gases in portable cylinders to industrial hygiene and environmental labs.
• Calgaz: Air Liquide subsidiary that sells calibration gas in portable, returnable cylinders directly competitive with Portagreen. Same end users (gas detection, environmental monitoring, industrial hygiene) and similar refillable cylinder programs.

Broad incumbents

• Messer Americas: Industrial gas producer operating in the Americas; offers specialty and calibration gases as part of its broader gas portfolio, competing for the same industrial hygiene and safety monitoring accounts.
• Industrial Scientific: Gas detection vendor that supplies its own calibration gases as part of its iNet and docking station service offerings, providing an integrated alternative to standalone calibration gas suppliers like Portagas.
• Drägerwerk AG: Major gas detection and respiratory protection company that also produces and sells its own calibration gases for its detector fleet, providing a vertically integrated alternative to third-party suppliers like Portagas.
• Air Products and Chemicals: Major global industrial gas producer with a specialty gas and calibration gas offering serving analytical labs, environmental monitoring, and process control customers overlapping with Portagas end markets.
• Honeywell Analytics (BW Technologies): Honeywell's portable gas detection business offers calibration gas cylinders branded for its detectors, competing with Portagas for the calibration consumable revenue tied to its installed base.
• Air Liquide America Specialty Gases: Global industrial gas major whose US specialty gases group sells calibration standards as part of a much broader gas and services portfolio, competing with Portagas for similar institutional customers.

Emerging players

• Gasco (gasco.company): Specialty calibration gas producer focused on portable, low-volume gas standards for detector and environmental monitoring applications — narrower product set but directly comparable end use to Portagas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/linde
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/linde
• Facebookfacebook.com/LindeGasEquipmentInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portagas-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/lindegasequipment

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 PortaGas