American Gases

What American Gases does

Linde Gas & Equipment Inc. (operating under the DBA "American Gases" / "Linde Gas & Equipment") is a U.S. subsidiary of Linde plc (NASDAQ: LIN) that retails industrial gases, welding equipment, and welding consumables to manufacturers, educational institutions, agricultural users, and individual hobbyists. Its product catalog spans oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, acetylene and specialty gas mixes; MIG/TIG/stick welders, plasma cutters, and engine-drive welding equipment; welding wire, electrodes, and consumables; abrasives; safety/PPE; gas regulators; and gas delivery and detection accessories — totaling more than 70,000 SKUs from over 100 manufacturers. A proprietary PROSTAR private-label brand supplements third-party OEM lines.

The core technology is an e-commerce and account-management platform (lindedirect.com) integrated with a 300+ U.S. retail store network, supporting online ordering, buy-online-pick-up-in-store, ship-to-store, a VirtualShop browsing tool, and enterprise features such as credit terms, auto-pay, multi-location invoicing, and a dedicated Bulk Express ordering portal. Distribution is hybrid: digital storefront for SMBs, individuals, and remote buyers; physical retail for local pickup, fittings, and walk-in service; and dedicated account management for enterprise customers with complex billing and shipping needs.

The business model is predominantly transactional hardware sales (industrial gases and welding equipment/consumables), complemented by professional services such as expert consultation and the STARSOLVER productivity program. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; revenue is generated through direct consumer and SMB online orders, in-store purchases, and negotiated enterprise contracts. The company has no public funding history, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and operates as a wholly-owned strategic subsidiary of Linde plc within its North American merchant and packaged-gas business.

Name

American Gases

Legal name

Linde Gas & Equipment Inc.

Website

https://americangases.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Linde Gas & Equipment Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Linde plc, retails industrial gases, welding equipment, and consumables through lindedirect.com and 300+ U.S. stores, serving manufacturers, educational institutions, agricultural users, and hobbyists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Gas and Welding Supply Distribution

NAICS

Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (4246), Other Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (42469)

SIC

Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084), Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160), Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080)

akta.pro primary industry

Welding & Cutting Gases (IMAEACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Air Separation (Oxygen/Nitrogen/Argon) (IMAEACAA), Gas Handling Equipment & Storage (Cylinders/Tanks/Valves) (IMAEACAL)

Keywords

• Industrial gas supply
• Welding equipment distribution
• Welding consumables supply
• Gas cylinder distribution
• Welding safety PPE

Headquarters

HQ city

Waukegan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Gases Sales: Sale of industrial gases including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, acetylene, and specialty gas mixes. Gases sold in various cylinder sizes and delivery formats.
2. Welding Equipment and Consumables: Sale of welding equipment (MIG, TIG, Stick welders, plasma cutters), welding wire, electrodes, abrasives, safety equipment, and consumables. Includes equipment from major manufacturers as well as PROSTAR private label products.
3. Professional Services: Expert consultation services, productivity programs like STARSOLVER, technical support, and account management services for business customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

American Gases, doing business as Linde Gas & Equipment Inc., distributes industrial gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, acetylene, and specialty gas mixes) along with welding wire, electrodes, welding and cutting equipment, abrasives, safety/PPE, regulators, gas equipment, and welding consumables. Sales occur through the lindedirect.com e-commerce platform and a 300+ store U.S. retail network supporting both walk-in consumers and enterprise business accounts.

Product overview

American Gases operates as an industrial gas and welding supply retailer offering a unified e-commerce platform for purchasing gases, welding equipment, and supplies. The core product portfolio includes industrial gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen), welding wire and electrodes, welding and cutting equipment (MIG, TIG, stick welders, plasma cutters), abrasives, safety and PPE equipment, welding consumables, and gas regulators. The company also offers a proprietary PROSTAR sub-brand of welding products. The platform enables online ordering with delivery or store pickup options across 300+ retail locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PROSTAR: Private label brand for welding products including helmets and consumables

Products and services

• Industrial Gases Industrial gases including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, acetylene, fuel gases, and specialty gas mixes sold in various cylinder sizes and delivery formats for welding and industrial applications. Sold to manufacturers, educational institutions, agricultural businesses, and hobbyists.
• Welding Wire and Electrodes Comprehensive range of welding wires including MIG solid wire, flux-cored wire, metal-cored wire, and submerged arc welding wire, plus welding electrodes for mild steel, stainless steel, and specialty applications; also includes TIG welding rods and brazing/soldering filler metals.
• Welding and Cutting Equipment Complete welding and cutting equipment portfolio including MIG welders, TIG welders, stick welders, plasma cutters, engine drive welders, laser welding systems, multi-process welding machines, oxy-acetylene welding and cutting equipment, arc gouging, submerged arc welding, and spot welding systems.
• Abrasives Abrasive products for grinding, cutting, sanding, and surface preparation including grinding wheels, flap discs, cut-off discs, wire brushes, sanding materials, buffing and polishing products, points/cones/plugs, deburring tools, and abrasive accessories.
• Safety and PPE Personal protective equipment including welding helmets and lenses, safety glasses, gloves, hand and arm protection, protective clothing, work apparel, respiratory protection, hearing protection, head/face/eye protection, welding blankets, curtains and screens, and area protection.
• Welding and Cutting Consumables Replacement consumables for welding and cutting equipment including MIG contact tips and nozzles, TIG cups and collets, plasma cutting consumables, oxy-acetylene welding consumables, welding chemicals, robotic welding consumables, and submerged arc welding consumables.
• Gas Pressure Regulators Gas pressure regulators including industrial gas regulators, specialty gas regulators, medical gas regulators, balloon regulators, and regulator accessories for controlling cylinder gas flow across applications.
• Gas Equipment and Delivery Systems Gas handling equipment including flowmeters, valves and gauges, cylinder accessories, cryogenic and dry ice storage, gas delivery systems, gas detection and alarm systems, purifiers and filters, gas generators, and gas mixers.
• PROSTAR Private Label Brand Proprietary Linde-owned brand offering welding wires, electrodes, helmets, and consumables sold exclusively through Linde Gas & Equipment channels at competitive price points versus name-brand equivalents.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Lincoln ElectriccoreOthersMajor brand partnership offering Lincoln Electric welding equipment, welders, and welding products. Linde carries the full range of Lincoln products and participates in Lincoln Electric buy-and-save promotional programs.
• Miller ElectriccoreOthersMajor brand partnership for Miller Electric welding machines and equipment. Linde carries Miller welders and participates in Miller build-with-blue rebate programs.
• ESABcoreOthersBrand partnership for ESAB welding equipment, plasma cutters, and consumables. Linde carries ESAB products and participates in ESAB burn-and-earn promotional programs.
• HyperthermcoreOthersBrand partnership for Hypertherm plasma cutting equipment including PowerMax series plasma cutters. Linde carries Hypertherm products with available rebate programs.
• 3MmajorOthersBrand partnership for 3M personal protective equipment including welding helmets and respiratory protection. Linde participates in 3M Speedglas helmet rebate programs.
• Thermal DynamicsmajorOthersBrand partnership for Thermal Dynamics plasma cutting equipment and products.
• NortonminorOthersBrand partnership for Norton abrasives including grinding wheels and cutting discs.
• United AbrasivesminorOthersBrand partnership for United Abrasives cutting and grinding products.
• TillmanminorOthersBrand partnership for Tillman safety products and welding PPE.
• Bernard and TregaskissmajorOthersBrand partnership for Bernard and Tregaskiss MIG welding guns and consumables offered through Linde.
• HobartmajorOthersBrand partnership for Hobart welding rods, MIG welding wire, and welding equipment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Norco: Norco is a privately held U.S. industrial gas and welding supply distributor with multiple branch locations across the western U.S., offering compressed gases, welding equipment, PPE, and consumables to manufacturing, agricultural, and hobbyist customers with a similar one-stop-shop value proposition.
• Airgas: Airgas, an Air Liquide subsidiary, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial gases and welding supplies with a comparable nationwide branch network, e-commerce platform, and welding/PPE/consumables catalog. Most direct competitor to Linde Gas & Equipment across product mix, customer segments, and omnichannel distribution model.
• Roberts Oxygen: Roberts Oxygen is a U.S. industrial gas and welding supply distributor serving the Mid-Atlantic with industrial, medical, and specialty gases plus welding equipment and consumables. Comparable customer base of manufacturers, healthcare, and educational institutions.
• Rocky Mountain Air Solutions: Rocky Mountain Air Solutions (formerly Rocky Mountain Welding Supply) is a regional U.S. industrial gas and welding supply distributor serving the Mountain West. Directly comparable business model across packaged gases, welding equipment, and consumables, though geographically narrower.
• General Air Service & Supply (Genstar): Genstar is a U.S. industrial gas and welding supply distributor serving California and the western U.S. with packaged and bulk industrial gases, welding equipment, and consumables. Competes head-to-head with Linde Gas & Equipment in similar SMB and manufacturer customer segments.
• Matheson Tri-Gas: Matheson Tri-Gas, a Nippon Sanso Holdings subsidiary, distributes industrial, specialty, and medical gases in the U.S. with overlapping bulk and packaged gas offerings, gas equipment, and welding supply categories targeting manufacturers, laboratories, and healthcare customers.

Broad incumbents

• Air Products and Chemicals: Air Products is one of the 'Big Three' global industrial gas manufacturers with significant U.S. merchant and on-site gas operations as well as gas equipment/welding supply distribution. Overlaps with Linde Gas & Equipment in packaged industrial gases and specialty gases but competes at a broader, more upstream level.
• Air Liquide: Air Liquide is a global industrial gas major and the parent of Airgas. Competes with Linde plc broadly in industrial gas production, specialty gas, and electronics gases, and indirectly with Linde Gas & Equipment through its U.S. distribution subsidiary.
• Messer Americas: Messer, the world's largest privately held industrial gas company, operates gas production and U.S. distribution through Messer Americas. Directly competes with Linde Gas & Equipment in merchant industrial gas and welding supply distribution, particularly in the U.S. Midwest and East.

Others

• Grainger: Grainger is a large U.S. industrial MRO distributor with a broad catalog of safety, welding, and facility maintenance supplies. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — overlaps in PPE, abrasives, hand tools, and select welding consumables — but does not produce or distribute industrial gases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/linde
• Facebookfacebook.com/WaukeganAmericanGases
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linde-gas-and-equipment-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/lindegasequipment

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 American Gases