Gases
Medical oxygen to Indian Pharmacopoeia standard, in cylinders
Medical oxygen is a licensed medicine, not an industrial gas with a better certificate. It is manufactured, filled and documented under drug-licence controls to Indian Pharmacopoeia standard and IS 12406. KIGL fills medical oxygen into dedicated cylinders for hospitals, nursing homes and ambulance services. Cylinder supply only.
By Mithillessh Garg, Director (Gas Supply)
₹50 – ₹70 per Nm³ Indicative. Your quotation is the figure that counts — price moves with quantity, cylinder size, contract term and delivery.
- Indian Pharmacopoeia
- Pharmacopoeial standard
- IS 12406
- Indian standard
- IS 7285
- Cylinder standard
- Manufactured under drug licence
- Regulatory basis
- Cylinders
- Supply form
Medical oxygen is a medicine
That is the whole point of this page, and it is the thing most buyers underestimate.
Medical oxygen is regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. It is manufactured under a drug licence, filled into dedicated cylinders that never see industrial service, batch-recorded, and released against a specification in the Indian Pharmacopoeia. The Indian standard is IS 12406.
The purity figure is the least interesting part. Industrial oxygen at ≥99.5 % has a higher headline purity than the IP minimum of 99.0 %. What makes medical oxygen medical is the licence, the dedicated cylinders, the batch record and the traceability behind every fill.
KIGL manufactures this itself. That distinction is worth checking with any supplier: a good deal of medical oxygen in India is traded rather than produced, passing through intermediaries that did not fill it and cannot answer for the batch. KIGL's is made and filled under its own licence, at its own plant, and KIGL can answer for every cylinder.
Where it is used
Hospitals and clinics — oxygen therapy, intensive care, ventilators, operating theatres and recovery.
Ambulance and emergency services — portable cylinders for pre-hospital care and patient transfer.
Nursing homes and day-care facilities — bedside and ward supply.
Neonatal and paediatric units — where delivered concentration is controlled precisely.
Home oxygen therapy — for chronic respiratory conditions, supplied through the prescribing clinician.
What KIGL supplies, and what it does not
KIGL supplies medical oxygen in cylinders, in dedicated medical service, with batch documentation.
KIGL does not supply liquid medical oxygen or VIE bulk systems. That needs cryogenic production and vacuum-insulated road transport, which is a different industry from cylinder filling. A hospital planning a VIE installation needs a cryogenic bulk supplier, and KIGL says so rather than taking an order it cannot serve properly.
For a manifold-fed pipeline, cylinder banks with automatic changeover are a legitimate and widely used configuration, and KIGL sizes and supplies those.
Continuity of supply
For a hospital this matters more than price. Three things determine it: how much reserve you hold on site, whether your manifold changes over automatically without intervention, and how far you are from the filling point.
KIGL works that through with the hospital's engineering team against actual peak demand rather than quoting a standard package. KIGL's filling operations are at Guwahati.
Safe handling
Safety in the hospital environment
- Oxygen-enriched atmospheres make ordinary materials burn fiercely. Ventilate manifold rooms and enforce no-smoking rigorously.
- No oil, grease or hydrocarbon on any oxygen fitting — this includes hand creams on the hands fitting a regulator.
- Secure cylinders upright at all times, including in transit within the building.
- Train ward staff on changeover and on the difference between medical and industrial cylinders.
Full detail is in the oxygen safety data sheet.
Sizing hospital oxygen supply
The question is rarely annual consumption; it is what happens on the worst day.
Peak draw, not average
Size against simultaneous use at peak occupancy — theatres, ICU, emergency and wards drawing together — rather than against a monthly total. A system sized on averages fails exactly when it is needed.
The float
Cylinders on site, in transit and at the works at once. Two to three times peak weekly draw is the usual working figure, and a manifold with an automatic changeover and a reserve bank is what stops a changeover becoming an incident.
Reserve
A defined number of days of autonomy on site, independent of delivery, is what a clinical governance review will ask for.
The route in
Cylinders at the bedside, a manifold feeding a medical gas pipeline, or on-site generation from a PSA oxygen plant with cylinder backup. Most hospitals end up with a combination, and the pipeline is what makes it invisible to clinical staff.
Filled industrial gas cylinders, ranked upright in the yard for despatch
Guwahati works · agent network
Buying medical oxygen on a hospital tender
Hospital oxygen is bought on annual rate contract far more often than order by order, and the schedule decides whether the supply holds: the cylinder float against peak occupancy, whether cylinders sit on deposit or daily holding, the delivery cadence, and who carries the hydrostatic retest. What a technical bid needs from KIGL, including the registrations and the standard to quote, is set out on tenders and GeM, and the licence numbers are on approvals and licences.
Why KIGL
Why buy medical oxygen from KIGL
KIGL has manufactured gases since 1947 and supplied hospitals across the North-East for decades, including through the COVID-19 period when regional supply was the constraint on care. The family has served on the BIS committees behind the cylinder and valve standards that medical gas supply depends on.
Specification
Medical oxygen — full specification
| Property | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacopoeial standard | Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) | Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission |
| Indian standard | IS 12406 (Medical Oxygen) | Bureau of Indian Standards |
| Cylinder standard | IS 7285 seamless steel | — |
| Regulatory basis | Manufactured under drug licence | Drugs and Cosmetics Act |
| Supply form | High-pressure cylinders, dedicated medical service | KIGL product specification |
| Chemical formula | O₂ | — |
| Purity | ≥99.0 % v/v | Indian Pharmacopoeia |
| Carbon dioxide | ≤300 ppm | Indian Pharmacopoeia |
| Carbon monoxide | ≤5 ppm | Indian Pharmacopoeia |
| Batch documentation | Batch record and certificate of analysis | — |
Documents
Medical oxygen — safety and technical documentation
Questions
Medical oxygen — frequently asked questions
Can industrial oxygen be used for patients in an emergency?
No. The difference is not only purity but the entire manufacturing, filling and documentation regime — dedicated cylinders, batch traceability, and controls appropriate to a medicine. Industrial cylinders may carry residues from previous service and have no batch record behind them. Substituting industrial oxygen for medical oxygen is unlawful and unsafe, including during a shortage.
Do you supply liquid medical oxygen for hospital pipeline systems?
No. KIGL supplies medical oxygen in cylinders only. Liquid medical oxygen requires a vacuum insulated evaporator and cryogenic bulk logistics, which KIGL does not operate. For a manifold-fed pipeline KIGL supplies cylinder banks; a VIE installation requires a cryogenic bulk supplier. That is stated rather than taking an order KIGL cannot serve.
What cylinder sizes do hospitals typically need?
Larger cylinders for manifold rooms and ward use, smaller portable cylinders for ambulances and bedside transfer. The right mix depends on your bed count, manifold configuration and turnover. KIGL sizes it against the stated duty rather than supplying a standard package.
How is medical oxygen traceable?
Each fill is batch-recorded, and a certificate of analysis is available against the batch. This matters for your drug inspector, your NABH file and any incident investigation. Ask for the certificate to accompany delivery if your accreditation requires it.
What backup should a hospital hold?
Enough on-site reserve to cover a supply interruption at peak demand, plus a manifold that changes over automatically. The right figure depends on your consumption and your distance from the filling point. KIGL works it through with the hospital's engineering team rather than quoting a generic number.
Do you supply nitrous oxide and medical gas mixtures as well?
KIGL supplies [nitrous oxide](/nitrous-oxide-gas) to IP standard. For Entonox and other medical mixtures, send the requirement and KIGL will confirm what it can fill.
References
- Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission. (n.d.). Indian Pharmacopoeia: Indian Pharmacopoeia monographs.
- The Kamrup Industrial Gases Limited. (2026). Company information and manufacturer's data [Company statement].
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Enquiries
Request a quotation for medical oxygen
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.