What Vítkovice Cylinders does

Vítkovice Cylinders a.s. is a Czech-headquartered industrial manufacturer, headquartered in Ostrava, that produces seamless steel pressure cylinders, high-pressure accumulators, transport bundles, storage solutions, and steel grinding media. The company self-describes as the world's largest manufacturer of steel cylinders, pressure vessels, accumulators, bundles, and storage for gas storage, and operates as a core operating subsidiary of Cylinders Holding alongside ECS (acquired 2024) and TECHNOVIT a.s. (integrated 2026). Cylinder production traces back to 1905, with the proprietary backward extrusion (protlačování) technology adopted in 1991 forming the foundation of its manufacturing capability. The product range spans pressures from 100 to 1100 bar and volumes from 50 to 240 L, covering industrial gases, medical gases, technical gases, CNG, LPG, acetylene, scuba, fire extinguisher applications, and hydrogen storage and transport. Hydrogen-related offerings (H2HUB sub-brand, SMART Container, transport trailers up to 500 kg H2, residential-to-industrial storage systems) are a strategic growth axis.

The company's core technology is backward extrusion, which forms cylinders from a single piece of steel rather than welding, delivering superior mechanical strength and enabling high-pressure hydrogen applications. Additional proprietary capabilities include a calcium silicate porous mass reinforced with glass fiber for acetylene cylinders, die-forged and rolled grinding balls (20-100mm diameters) with heat treatment, and certified acoustic emission non-destructive testing. The portfolio is certified under ISO 9001, TÜV SÜD (for acetylene porous mass), and the EU Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) for hydrogen products. TECHNOVIT a.s. provides the company with what it describes as the only ecologically safe disposal technology for acetylene cylinders in the world, including handling of asbestos-bearing porous mass.

Vítkovice Cylinders generates revenue through one-time hardware sales of cylinders, grinding media, and storage systems; rental of hydrogen storage and transport systems; and professional services including ecological disposal of acetylene cylinders and acoustic emission inspection. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise B2B direct sales via 15 commercial representatives serving Europe and global markets, complemented by 10 affiliated companies within the Cylinders Holding group and an e-commerce storefront (cylinders-eshop.cz) for smaller orders. Customer segments span industrial gas companies, hydrogen economy participants, mining and construction, fire safety equipment manufacturers, medical gas distributors, and recreational diving suppliers. Marketing channels include corporate LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, X, and Instagram accounts plus the company website. The company is privately held with no public ticker, no disclosed venture or private equity backing, and operates under General Director Vladimír Šiška.

Name

Vítkovice Cylinders

Legal name

Vítkovice Cylinders a.s.

Website

https://vitkovicecylinders.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Vítkovice Cylinders is the world's largest manufacturer of seamless steel high-pressure cylinders, pressure vessels, accumulators, and grinding media, serving industrial gas, hydrogen economy, mining, and construction customers from Ostrava, Czech Republic, via proprietary backward extrusion technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pressure Vessel Manufacturing

NAICS

Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Other Metal Valve and Pipe Fitting Manufacturing (332919)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533), Steel Pipe & Tubes (3317), Metal Shipping Barrels, Drums, Kegs & Pails (3412)

akta.pro primary industry

Gas Handling Equipment & Storage (Cylinders/Tanks/Valves) (IMAEACAL)

Keywords

• Seamless steel cylinders
• High-pressure cylinders
• Hydrogen storage solutions
• Grinding media manufacturing
• Pressure vessel fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Ostrava

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. High-pressure Cylinders Sales: Sale of seamless steel cylinders for industrial gases, medical, energy and hydrogen applications. Products include bottles, pressure vessels, accumulators, bundles and storage solutions. Both sales and rental of hydrogen storage and transport systems offered.
2. Grinding Media Sales: Sale of forged and rolled steel grinding balls for mining, construction, energy and other industries. Available in standard diameters from 20-100mm with various hardness grades.
3. Ecological Disposal Services: 100% ecologically safe acetylene cylinder disposal technology. Services include cross-border transport, solvent distillation, cylinder destruction, and smelting in certified steelworks. As the only company in the world offering certified ecologically safe acetylene cylinder disposal.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vítkovice Cylinders manufactures seamless steel high-pressure cylinders, pressure vessels, accumulators, bundles, and gas storage solutions (50–240 L, 100–1100 bar) for industrial gases, hydrogen, CNG, LPG, acetylene, scuba, and fire-extinguisher applications, plus forged and rolled steel grinding balls (20–100 mm) for mining, construction, and energy industries. The company also provides ecological disposal services for acetylene cylinders and acoustic emission non-destructive testing. Production is based on proprietary backward extrusion technology at facilities in Ostrava and Sosnoviec, distributed via direct enterprise sales, an e-commerce platform, and 10 affiliates within Cylinders Holding.

Product overview

Vítkovice Cylinders is the world's largest manufacturer of seamless steel cylinders, pressure vessels, accumulators, bundles, and gas storage solutions. The company operates as part of Cylinders Holding and offers a comprehensive portfolio including: high-pressure cylinders (100-1100 bar, 50-240 L volumes) for hydrogen, CNG, technical gases, scuba, and fire extinguishers; hydrogen technology solutions (storage and transport systems up to 500 kg H2); acetylene cylinders with proprietary calcium silicate porous mass; grinding balls (20-100mm) for mining, construction, and energy industries; and services including acoustic emission testing and ecological disposal of acetylene cylinders. Manufacturing uses unique backward extrusion technology established in 1991, with recent investments in R&D center for hydrogen applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• H2HUB: Hydrogen technology hub and solutions brand operated by the company.
• SMART Container

Products and services

• High-Pressure Cylinders (Pressure Bottles, Tanks, Accumulators) Seamless steel pressure cylinders for storage and transport of gases under high pressure; available in volumes 50–240 L and working pressures 100–1100 bar for industrial gas, CNG, LPG, and specialty gas applications.
• Hydrogen Pressure Cylinders Seamless steel cylinders specifically designed for hydrogen storage and transport at pressures up to 1100 bar, offering lower weight, higher strength, safety, and longevity under extreme mechanical and thermal conditions.
• H2 Storage Solutions Range of hydrogen storage products from small bundles for residential renewable energy storage to large modular industrial hydrogen storage facilities, with working pressures 100–1000 bar and storage capacity from 5 kg to several tons.
• H2 Transport Solutions Solutions for hydrogen transport at pressure levels 100–500 bar, transporting 3–500 kg of compressed H2, including trailers with appropriate approvals and certifications.
• SMART Container Smart hydrogen transport solution with remote management and logistics optimization, transporting up to 500 kg H2 at up to 300 bar for maximum optimization of transport and storage costs.
• High-Pressure Transport Bundles High-pressure transport bundles and containers for gas storage and transport solutions.
• Scuba Cylinders Pressure cylinders for scuba diving applications, providing lightweight, durable high-pressure cylinders for underwater breathing apparatus.
• Technical Gas Cylinders Pressure cylinders for technical and industrial gas storage and transport.
• Fire Extinguisher Cylinders Pressure cylinders for fire extinguisher (hasicí přístroje) applications.
• Acetylene Cylinders Acetylene cylinders with proprietary calcium silicate porous mass reinforced with glass fiber, using acetone (UL1) or dimethylformamide (DMF) (UL2) as solvents; fully automated production with ISO 9001 quality monitoring and TÜV SÜD-certified porous mass.
• LPG Cylinders LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders for storage and transport.
• CNG Cylinders Compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders for vehicle fuel and industrial applications.
• Grinding Balls (Mlecí koule) Steel grinding balls for mining (iron, manganese, chrome, tungsten, molybdenum, copper, zinc, gold, uranium ore), construction (sand, limestone for cement), energy (coal, blast furnace slag), and other industries (color pigments, ceramic materials); nominal diameters 20–100 mm in hard, medium, and soft hardness grades.
• Acoustic Emission Services Non-destructive testing service using acoustic emission technology for cylinder inspection.
• Ecological Disposal Services 100% ecologically safe acetylene cylinder disposal service including cross-border transport permits, solvent distillation (acetone/DMF), cylinder destruction, and smelting in certified steelworks; converts asbestos to inert mineral at temperatures above 1150°C. The only company in the world offering certified ecologically safe acetylene cylinder disposal handling both asbestos and non-asbestos porous mass.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ECS (European Cylinder Services)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ECS became part of Cylinders Holding in 2024. ECS provides cylinder services and is integrated into the Cylinders Holding group structure.
• TECHNOVIT a.s.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Cylinders Holding acquired majority stake in TECHNOVIT in 2016. TECHNOVIT specializes in ecological disposal of acetylene cylinders. TECHNOVIT officially became part of Vítkovice Cylinders a.s. in 2026.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Cyltec (Cylinders Holding associate): Affiliated entity within the Cylinders Holding group that handles innovation and development. Sister organization rather than competitor — listed for completeness as part of the holding structure relevant to Vítkovice's product portfolio and R&D pipeline.

Emerging players

• NPROXX: Hydrogen storage specialist offering composite pressure vessels for transportation and stationary storage. Direct competitor in the emerging high-pressure hydrogen tank market, but uses composite rather than steel technology — represents both overlap and substitution risk.

Broad incumbents

• Chart Industries: Large US-based cryogenic and process gas equipment manufacturer. Overlaps with Vítkovice in industrial gas storage and hydrogen liquefaction/distribution, but operates at much larger scale across broader cryogenic and LNG equipment categories.
• Tenaris: Global manufacturer of seamless steel pipes and tubes for energy and industrial applications. Adjacent in steel seamless tube manufacturing capability and industrial customer base, but operates at much larger scale and primarily in O&G tubular goods.
• Amtrol-Alfa (Alfa Laval): Pressure vessel and tank manufacturer for industrial, HVAC, and gas applications. Comparable in pressure vessel engineering and certification work, but serves broader process equipment markets beyond gas cylinders.
• Air Products and Chemicals: Global industrial gas major with extensive hydrogen infrastructure investments. Both customer (buying storage solutions) and adjacent player in hydrogen logistics — represents major hydrogen offtake opportunity and competition for end-to-end H2 solutions.

Direct peers

• Hexagon Composites: Manufacturer of composite high-pressure cylinders and hydrogen storage systems. Competes in the same hydrogen storage and distribution market as Vítkovice's H2HUB portfolio, particularly for mobile hydrogen transport and energy storage applications.
• Worthington Industries: Major global manufacturer of pressure cylinders for industrial gases, propane, and specialty applications. Direct competitor in seamless steel cylinders serving overlapping industrial gas and energy customers with comparable B2B sales motion.
• Faber Industrie: Italian manufacturer of seamless steel gas cylinders for industrial, medical, and specialty gases. Direct European competitor with overlapping product portfolio (LPG, CNG, technical gas cylinders) and similar backward extrusion technology heritage.
• Luxfer Holdings: Manufacturer of high-pressure gas cylinders (composite and aluminum) for industrial, medical, fire safety, and specialty gas applications. Closest competitor in cylinders for hydrogen, CNG, and fire extinguishers, with similar safety certifications and global distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cyl_hol
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxJgWLFOKWxygwChWI1K6Xw/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0
• Facebookfacebook.com/848972811867676
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vitkovice-cylinders
• Instagraminstagram.com/cylinders.holding

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Vítkovice Cylinders