How do I tell gas apart from gaseous fuels when both involve burning a gas?

Check the supply route: piped mains natural gas is reported under gas, while cylinder-delivered or bulk-tank gases such as LPG, propane and butane are reported under gaseous fuels.

Should LPG used in forklifts be reported here or under vehicle fuel?

Either is acceptable as long as you apply it consistently — decide once whether mobile combustion equipment sits under gaseous fuels or under your fleet or travel category, and keep that rule the same across sites and years.

How do I estimate consumption from a bulk LPG tank without a meter?

Use supplier fill records or periodic dip-stick readings to calculate the volume delivered between fills, cross-checked against invoiced quantities where available.

Does acetylene used for welding count as a gaseous fuel?

Yes, acetylene and similar process gases used for combustion or heating purposes fall under gaseous fuels; industrial gases used for non-combustion purposes, such as inert shielding gases, are generally out of scope for this category.

What if a site uses both bottled gas and mains gas for the same heating system?

Report each fuel under its own category based on supply method — mains volumes under gas, cylinder or bulk-tank volumes under gaseous fuels — rather than merging them into a single combined figure.

Activity data·Energy & fuels

How to measure emissions from Gaseous fuels

Gaseous fuels covers every gas your organisation combusts other than mains natural gas — LPG, propane, butane, acetylene and similar cylinder or bulk-tank fuels. These sit in Scope 1 for direct combustion and Scope 3 Category 3 for upstream extraction and processing. Because delivery is usually by cylinder or bulk tank rather than pipeline, invoices and delivery notes tend to be more reliable data sources than meters for this category.

Scope: Scope 1 and Scope 3 Category 3
What activity data you need: Btu, m3, litre, kWh, scf, tonne, $ Spend, £ Spend
Activity data: Energy & fuels

What counts as Gaseous fuels

Gaseous fuels are any gases combusted by the organisation for heating, cooking, drying or industrial processes, excluding piped mains natural gas. This includes LPG, propane, butane and acetylene supplied by cylinder, bottle or bulk storage tank. Only fuel combusted in equipment the organisation owns or controls counts — fuel purchased for resale or held in inventory is excluded until it is burned.

Because gaseous fuels and gas both describe combustion of a gas, it's easy to file the wrong fuel under the wrong category — the deciding factor is supply method: piped mains gas belongs under gas, while cylinder or bulk-tank gases belong here. A related risk is double counting bottled gas used in owned vehicles or forklifts if the same fuel purchases are also captured under a fleet or business travel category — decide once which category owns vehicle-based LPG and apply it consistently. Gaseous fuel combustion is Scope 1, with upstream extraction and processing reported separately as Scope 3 Category 3. As a reporting tip, keep delivery notes and cylinder exchange records by site, since annual bulk-tank top-ups can otherwise be missed between billing cycles.

How to collect the data

Supplier delivery notes and invoices are usually the most practical source, since gaseous fuels are typically purchased by cylinder count, bulk tank fill or weight rather than through a continuous meter. Where a bulk storage tank serves a site, periodic dip readings or supplier fill records can substitute for individual delivery notes. Spend data can be used where physical quantities aren't tracked, but litres, kg or m³ from invoices give a materially more accurate result.

What activity data you need

Collect the most specific physical unit available. Unit definitions are in Appendix I — Description of Units.

Btu
m3
litre
kWh
scf
tonne
$ Spend
£ Spend

Which emission scope it falls under

Gaseous fuels activity data typically maps to Scope 1 and Scope 3 Category 3 under the GHG Protocol. Confirm organisational boundary and ownership before reporting.

Scope 1

Scope 3 Category 3

By emission scope

Compliance frameworks

Compliance & reporting frameworks

Sub-types available in the platform

All 17 sub-types available in the platform.

Acetylene
Butane
CNG
Coke and refined petroleum products: Average: UK
LNG
LPG
Natural gas
Natural gas (100% mineral blend)
Natural gas: Average
Natural gas: CA
Natural gas: DE
Natural gas: FR
Natural gas: SP
Natural gas: UK
Natural gas: US
Other petroleum gas
Propane

Common questions

How do I tell gas apart from gaseous fuels when both involve burning a gas?: Check the supply route: piped mains natural gas is reported under gas, while cylinder-delivered or bulk-tank gases such as LPG, propane and butane are reported under gaseous fuels.
Should LPG used in forklifts be reported here or under vehicle fuel?: Either is acceptable as long as you apply it consistently — decide once whether mobile combustion equipment sits under gaseous fuels or under your fleet or travel category, and keep that rule the same across sites and years.
How do I estimate consumption from a bulk LPG tank without a meter?: Use supplier fill records or periodic dip-stick readings to calculate the volume delivered between fills, cross-checked against invoiced quantities where available.
Does acetylene used for welding count as a gaseous fuel?: Yes, acetylene and similar process gases used for combustion or heating purposes fall under gaseous fuels; industrial gases used for non-combustion purposes, such as inert shielding gases, are generally out of scope for this category.
What if a site uses both bottled gas and mains gas for the same heating system?: Report each fuel under its own category based on supply method — mains volumes under gas, cylinder or bulk-tank volumes under gaseous fuels — rather than merging them into a single combined figure.

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Related in this cluster·Energy & fuels