Camping Propane Price Per Gallon
A propane cylinder refill cost a median $4.10 a gallon ($0.98 a pound) across 108 U-Haul locations on 21 October 2026, about $19.27 to fill a 20 lb grill tank. A tank exchange was $24.95 at every U-Haul exchange store in the sample. A 1 lb camping canister costs whatever its shelf price is per pound; the check below turns it into a price per gallon.
Check a cylinder or canister price
Enter the price on the pump or the exchange cage. The page divides it by the gallons in the cylinder and compares the result with 108 U-Haul refill prices read on 21 October 2026.
Refill, exchange or 1 lb canister
| Option | Propane in it | Published price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 lb refill | Filled to the 20 lb mark, about 4.7 gal | U-Haul median $4.10/gal, about $19.27 a fill | Lowest cost per gallon; you wait while it is filled |
| 20 lb exchange | 15 lb, about 3.6 gal, at Blue Rhino and AmeriGas | U-Haul $24.95 a cylinder | Speed, and swapping out an old or out-of-date cylinder |
| 1 lb disposable | 1 lb, about 0.24 gal | Shelf price only; per gallon = price ÷ 0.24 | Backpacking stoves and lanterns, occasional use |
| 1 lb refillable | 1 lb, filled from your own 20 lb tank | Propane at about $0.98 a fill (U-Haul median per lb) | Regular campers who already own a 20 lb tank |
The 20 lb grill tank: refill or exchange
A refill station fills your own cylinder to its 20 lb mark (about 4.7 gallons) and charges by the gallon. U-Haul prints that price on each location page that refills cylinders; across 108 locations in 20 metros on 21 October 2026 it ran from $3.60 to $5.80 a gallon, with a median of $4.10. The Costco propane refill page has the full table by metro.
An exchange swaps your empty cylinder for a filled one. Blue Rhino and AmeriGas exchange cylinders carry 15 lb, not 20: the two cut their fill from 17 lb to 15 lb in 2008, which the FTC's complaint treated as a price increase (FTC matter 111-0195). At the U-Haul refill median, 15 lb of propane costs $14.76, so an exchange priced above that costs more per gallon than a refill. U-Haul's own exchange stores listed $24.95; U-Haul does not state how much propane its exchange cylinders hold, so ask before comparing. What you get for the difference is no wait, and the old cylinder goes back for inspection, which matters once it is near its requalification date: a 20 lb steel cylinder is due 12 years after the date stamped on its collar, then every 5 years if requalified by external visual inspection (49 CFR 180.209).
The 1 lb camping canister
The green 1 lb cylinder used by camp stoves and lanterns holds a pound of propane, about 0.24 gallons at 4.2 lb to the gallon. So its shelf price is its price per pound, and its price per gallon is the shelf price divided by 0.24, roughly four times the shelf price. Use the check above with “a 1 lb camping cylinder” selected: every dollar of shelf price is about $4.17 a gallon, against $4.10 for a U-Haul refill and $2.689 for delivered home propane.
These cylinders are built to DOT specification 39, which federal rules title “non-reusable (non-refillable)” (49 CFR 178.65). Refillable 1 lb cylinders are sold separately and filled from a larger tank with an adapter. The propane in one fill, bought as a 20 lb refill at the U-Haul median, costs about $0.98. To see how fast one pays back, divide its price by (your disposable canister price minus $0.98): that is the number of fills it takes.
Why small cylinders cost more than delivered propane
The U-Haul refill median of $4.10 a gallon is 1.5 times the EIA residential average of $2.689 for the week of 19 October 2026. They are different channels: a delivery truck puts hundreds of gallons into a home tank in one stop, while a refill station has an attendant weigh and fill one cylinder of under 5 gallons. The fixed cost of each fill is spread over far fewer gallons. Compare a cylinder price with other cylinder prices, and a delivered price with the state delivered averages.
How long a 1 lb cylinder lasts
A pound of propane holds about 21,500 BTU (see BTU per gallon of propane). Divide that by your stove's rating, on its label or manual: a stove burning 10,000 BTU an hour empties a 1 lb cylinder in about two hours at full flame, and a two-burner stove rated 20,000 BTU an hour in total does it in about one. Most cooking is below full flame, so real cylinders last longer.
How we priced this
Cylinder prices are read from U-Haul's own “propane near” results pages for 20 metros on 21 October 2026: the “Tank Refills” price per gallon and the “Tank Exchange” price per cylinder, both before sales tax (example results page). It is a sample of city-centre stores, not a national average. Delivered propane is the EIA weekly residential survey. Gallons per cylinder use 4.2 lb a gallon. Per-pound, per-fill and break-even figures are those inputs multiplied or divided as shown. We do not quote camping-store canister prices, which change by store and pack size; enter yours in the check.
Related
- Costco propane refill price, with U-Haul by metro
- Blue Rhino propane exchange price per gallon
- Forklift propane price per gallon (33 lb cylinder)
- Ferrellgas propane price
- AmeriGas propane price
- Wholesale vs retail spread
FAQ
How much does a propane cylinder refill cost?
U-Haul prints its refill price on each location page. Across 108 U-Haul refill locations in 20 metros on 21 October 2026, the median was $4.10 a gallon before tax (middle half $3.80 to $4.25). A 20 lb cylinder filled to its mark takes about 4.7 gallons, about $19.27 at the median.
How much is a propane tank exchange?
Every U-Haul store in the same sample that swaps cylinders rather than filling them listed a tank exchange at $24.95 before tax (11 stores in 5 metros, 21 October 2026). Blue Rhino and AmeriGas exchange cylinders carry 15 lb of propane, about 3.6 gallons, which puts a $24.95 exchange at about $6.93 a gallon if the cylinder holds 15 lb.
How much is propane per pound?
At the U-Haul refill median of $4.10 a gallon and about 4.2 lb of propane to the gallon, refilled propane works out to about $0.98 a pound. For a 1 lb camping cylinder, the shelf price is the price per pound.
Is a refill or an exchange cheaper?
Per gallon, a refill, unless the exchange is very cheap: at the U-Haul refill median of $4.10 a gallon, a 15 lb exchange only matches a refill at $14.76 or less. U-Haul's own exchange price in the sample was $24.95. An exchange saves the wait and swaps out an old cylinder.
Can I refill a 1 lb camping cylinder?
Only one sold as refillable. The green disposable 1 lb cylinders are built to DOT specification 39, which federal rules title non-reusable (non-refillable). Refillable 1 lb cylinders are sold separately and filled from a larger cylinder with an adapter.
How old can a propane tank be before it needs recertifying?
A 20 lb steel cylinder must be requalified 12 years after the test date stamped on its collar. If requalified by external visual inspection, it is due again every 5 years after that (49 CFR 180.209). Refill stations will not fill an out-of-date cylinder; exchange cages take it.
Answers checked 21 October 2026.