LPG (Propane / Butane)
Pressurised & refrigerated propane, butane and mixed LPG
LPG is sold as propane, butane or a mix, and the mix is the specification most buyers actually contract on: a domestic cooking market in a hot climate wants a butane-rich blend (typically 30:70 or 40:60 propane to butane) that vaporises without excess pressure in a cylinder, while a cold climate, autogas or industrial buyer wants propane-rich or pure propane. Behind the blend sit vapour pressure at 40 °C, the C2 (ethane) and C5+ (pentane) limits, total sulphur at about 50 ppm maximum, a copper corrosion test, residue, water at nil, and an odorant added at the terminal, all to ISO 9162, GPA 2140 or the national standard. The cargo comes in two physical forms that do not mix: pressurised, in small ships of 1,000–5,000 MT that discharge into pressurised spheres and bullets, and refrigerated, in vessels from 20,000 MT to VLGC size that need a refrigerated import terminal. Which form a buyer can receive decides everything else.
Buy LPG as a cargo when you are a cylinder filler or marketer with pressurised storage, an importer with a refrigerated terminal, or a state buyer running a tender; and buy it in the parcel size your jetty and tanks can take, because freight per tonne on a 2,000 MT pressurised coaster is several times that on a refrigerated parcel. The markets on this desk are West and East African cylinder fillers, Indian Ocean islands and South Asian importers, supplied from Gulf, Algerian and West African producers and priced against Saudi Aramco contract prices or the published Gulf and Mediterranean assessments. We work one way: a named terminal or producer, a stated blend, quantity and laycan, independent inspection at load, and payment against documents under a documentary letter of credit. CBIL brokers pressurised and refrigerated LPG on FOB, CFR and CIF terms.
Indicative reference
$470–580 USD / MT
as at September 2026
Reference level only — not an offer, and reviewed quarterly. Levels shown are as at September 2026. Firm pricing is quoted per RFQ, subject to volume, terms and inspection.
Typical Specification
Specifications are indicative and adjusted to the agreed contract and destination requirements. Final spec confirmed on COA / SGS.
Available Grades
Applications
- Cylinder filling & domestic cooking
- Autogas & industrial heating
- Petrochemical feedstock (propane)
- Power & agricultural drying
Category
Petroleum & Energy
Incoterms
FOB · CFR · CIF
Pricing basis
USD / MT
Inspection
SGS / Intertek at load port
LPG (Propane / Butane) — buyer questions
Pressurised or refrigerated?
Whichever your terminal can receive, and it is not a choice you can make at the cargo end. Pressurised spheres and bullets take small pressurised ships and cost more per tonne of freight; a refrigerated import terminal takes large refrigerated parcels at a fraction of the freight but costs far more to build. Most cylinder fillers in Africa and the islands receive pressurised cargo, and that sets the parcel size and the price.
What blend should I specify?
The one your cylinders and climate need. Hot domestic markets run butane-rich, often 30:70 or 40:60 propane to butane, so cylinder pressure stays safe; cold climates and autogas want propane-rich; industrial users vary. State the blend in the contract with tolerances, because a propane-heavy cargo into a butane market over-pressurises cylinders and a butane-heavy one will not vaporise in the cold.
How is LPG priced?
Against the Saudi Aramco monthly contract price for propane and butane, the reference for most Gulf-sourced cargo, or against the published Gulf and Mediterranean assessments, plus a differential for blend, parcel size and freight. Pressurised coaster cargoes carry a large freight premium per tonne. A flat number with no reference is not a price in this market.
What do you need before quoting an LPG cargo?
Your storage type and capacity, jetty and ship-size limits, the blend to your standard, quantity and window, your licence, and a bank able to open a documentary letter of credit we can confirm. We then approach a named terminal or producer. Cargoes that cannot be traced to a terminal and inspected at load are not cargoes we work.
Ready to source LPG?
Send your quantity, specification, preferred Incoterms and destination port. We'll verify supply and respond with a workable offer — usually within one business day.
Have LPG to sell? Submit an offer — we'll match it against live buyer demand.