Gases
Helium gas supply — sourced, filled and delivered by KIGL
Helium is inert, non-flammable and has the lowest boiling point of any element at −269 °C. India has no significant domestic helium production, so all helium here is imported. KIGL supplies helium in cylinders rather than manufacturing it, and says so plainly. Available for laboratory, welding and industrial use.
By Mithillessh Garg, Director (Gas Supply)
- Supplier
- KIGL’s role
- −269 °C
- Boiling point
- Inert
- Reactivity
- UN 1046
- UN number
- Cylinders
- Supply form
What helium is, and where it comes from
Helium is the second-lightest element, completely inert, non-flammable, and has the lowest boiling point of anything known, −269 °C. Those properties make it irreplaceable for a small number of jobs and unnecessarily expensive for everything else.
It also cannot be manufactured. Helium is extracted from natural gas deposits that happen to contain it in commercially useful concentration, and only a handful of places in the world have those. India is not one of them: essentially all helium used in this country is imported.
Stated plainly: KIGL supplies helium and does not produce it. No company in India does. That is stated rather than implying a capability nobody here has.
What KIGL supplies, and what it does not
Supplied: compressed helium in cylinders for laboratory, analytical, welding and industrial use.
Not supplied: liquid helium. Maintaining a liquid helium supply chain means specialised dewars with active boil-off management, and it exists to serve MRI magnets and cryogenic research. It is a different business from cylinder gas, and that requirement needs a dedicated cryogenic helium supplier. KIGL says so rather than taking the order.
Where helium is genuinely necessary
Leak detection
Helium’s small atomic size lets it pass through leaks nothing else will find, and mass-spectrometer leak detectors are built around it. There is no substitute.
Carrier gas
In gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, where its inertness and low mass matter.
Welding non-ferrous and thick sections
Higher thermal conductivity than argon gives a hotter, broader arc. Usually as an argon-helium mixture rather than pure.
Controlled atmospheres in semiconductor and fibre-optic manufacture, where absolute inertness is required.
Filled industrial gas cylinders, ranked upright in the yard for despatch
Guwahati works · agent network
Where it probably is not
This is the more useful section, and most suppliers will not write it.
If you are purging or inerting, nitrogen almost certainly does the job at a fraction of the cost. If you are TIG or MIG welding steel, stainless or aluminium, argon is usually better as well as cheaper. Helium is a specialist gas with a global supply constraint, and using it where a cheaper inert gas works is money vented into the atmosphere — permanently, since released helium escapes Earth entirely.
KIGL specifies against the stated application. Where helium is not required, an alternative is recommended.
Is helium flammable?
No. Helium is chemically inert and cannot burn or explode; it is the second lightest element, so a leak rises and collects at ceiling level rather than at the floor. The hazard is asphyxiation in an enclosed space, and cold burns from a rapid release. Hydrogen, the other very light gas, is extremely flammable — the two are not interchangeable for balloons, leak testing or anything else.
Safety
Inert, non-toxic, non-flammable — and an asphyxiant that gives no warning at all. It is also extremely light, so it accumulates at high level in enclosed spaces rather than dispersing at floor level as heavier gases do.
Never inhale helium from a cylinder or a balloon. The delivery pressure can rupture lung tissue and the oxygen displacement can cause unconsciousness without any sensation of breathlessness.
Full detail is in the helium safety data sheet.
Availability
Global helium supply is concentrated and periodically constrained, so availability and price move with events far outside India. KIGL gives a realistic lead time rather than an optimistic one, and says so where it cannot commit.
Why KIGL
Why buy helium from KIGL
Helium is not produced in India, so nobody here manufactures it. KIGL supplies it from licensed producers, and states so rather than leaving the point to be assumed. What seventy-nine years in industrial gas gives you is the other half of the conversation: whether argon or nitrogen will do the same job at a fraction of the cost, and how to stop venting the helium you have already paid for.
Specification
Helium gas supply — full specification
| Property | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| KIGL’s role | Supplier — helium is not manufactured in India | Company position |
| Boiling point | −269 °C (4.2 K) | NIST Chemistry WebBook |
| Reactivity | Chemically inert, non-flammable | KIGL helium safety data sheet |
| UN number | UN 1046 (compressed) | ADR 2025 |
| Supply form | Compressed gas cylinders | KIGL product range |
| Cylinder colour | Middle brown (shade 411), no band | IS 4379 |
| Indian Standard | IS 15583 : 2005 — six grades, Helium 2.0 to Helium 5.0 | IS 15583 : 2005, cl 4 |
| Chemical symbol | He | — |
| Atomic weight | 4.003 | — |
| Relative vapour density (air = 1) | ≈0.14 — far lighter than air | Calculated from molar mass, NIST Chemistry WebBook |
| Grades defined by the Indian Standard | Helium 2.0 (99 %), 2.8 (99.8 %), 4.0 (99.99 %), 4.5 (99.995 %), 4.7 (99.997 %), 5.0 (99.999 %) | IS 15583 : 2005 cl 4 — minimum helium content by grade |
Documents
Helium gas supply — safety and technical documentation
Questions
Helium gas supply — frequently asked questions
Is helium flammable?
No. Helium is inert and cannot burn. A leak rises to ceiling level and the hazard is asphyxiation in an enclosed space; do not confuse it with hydrogen, which is extremely flammable.
Which companies manufacture helium in India?
None. Helium is extracted from natural gas fields that happen to hold it, and India has no such field in production, so every helium cylinder in the country is filled from imported gas. Any company describing itself as a helium manufacturer in India is a refiller or a supplier, as KIGL is. What distinguishes suppliers is reliability of supply and honesty about lead time, not a manufacturing claim nobody can make.
Which gas is filled in balloons?
Helium. It is about 7 times lighter than air, so it gives lift, and it is inert, so it cannot burn or explode. Hydrogen is the only lighter gas and would also lift a balloon, but it is extremely flammable, which is why it is not used to fill party, display or advertising balloons for safety reasons. Never inhale the gas from a balloon.
Do you supply liquid helium for MRI scanners?
No. Liquid helium sits at −269 °C and requires specialised dewars with active boil-off management and a supply chain built specifically around it. That is a distinct business from cylinder gas supply and KIGL does not operate in it. Maintaining an MRI magnet requires a dedicated cryogenic helium supplier.
Why is helium expensive and sometimes unavailable?
Global supply is concentrated in a handful of extraction sites, and it cannot be manufactured — once vented, it is effectively lost to the atmosphere. Prices and availability move with global supply events rather than local demand. KIGL states plainly what lead time it can commit to.
Can I use nitrogen or argon instead of helium?
Often, yes, and it is worth asking. For many purging and inerting applications nitrogen works at a fraction of the cost. For shielding, argon is usually the better and cheaper choice. Helium is genuinely necessary for leak detection, cryogenics, certain carrier-gas applications and where its very high thermal conductivity matters. KIGL will state whether you need it.
What is helium used for in welding?
As a shielding gas or in argon-helium mixtures, mainly for non-ferrous metals and thick sections. Helium’s higher thermal conductivity gives a hotter, broader arc and better penetration than argon alone. It is normally used as a mixture rather than pure.
Is helium dangerous?
It is inert and non-toxic, but it is an asphyxiant — it displaces oxygen with no warning whatsoever. It is also extremely light and will accumulate at high level in an enclosed space. Never inhale helium from a cylinder or balloon; the pressure and the oxygen displacement can both cause serious injury.
References
- Bureau of Indian Standards. (2021). Identification of the contents of industrial gas cylinders (IS 4379:2021, Second Revision).
- Linstrom, P. J., & Mallard, W. G. (Eds.). (n.d.). NIST Chemistry WebBook (NIST Standard Reference Database 69). National Institute of Standards and Technology.
- The Kamrup Industrial Gases Limited. (2026). Company information and manufacturer's data [Company statement].
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Enquiries
Request a quotation for helium gas supply
State the gas or equipment, the quantity or capacity, and your location. KIGL will confirm the grade, the cylinder or plant size, and whether the location can be served from Noonmati, or through the agent network.