If you’ve just moved to a new city for a job or college, you’ve probably already hit the problem. A regular gas connection needs local address proof, and your Aadhaar still shows your home town. Your landlord won’t give you a rent agreement for a room you might leave in six months. And cooking on an induction plate gets old fast.
The 5 kg cylinder was made for exactly this situation. You can walk into a shop with just an ID card and walk out with a cylinder in about ten minutes. It costs more per kilo than a regular connection, though, and that’s the trade-off worth understanding before you buy.
There Are Two Kinds of 5 kg Cylinder
People mix these up all the time, and they’re very different products.
| 5 kg FTL (“Chhotu” type) | 5 kg domestic | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Free Trade LPG, sold at market price | Part of a regular domestic connection |
| Documents | ID proof only | ID and address proof, like any domestic connection |
| Deposit | None; you buy the cylinder outright | Security deposit, like a 14.2 kg connection |
| Price | Market-linked, changes monthly | Regulated, much lower |
| Gap between refills | None | Same rules as domestic connections |
| Where to refill | Any outlet of the same company, in any city | Your own distributor |
When most people say “chhota cylinder”, they mean the first one, the FTL cylinder. That’s what the rest of this guide is mainly about.
What It Costs Right Now
In Delhi, a 5 kg FTL refill costs ₹764 from 1 September 2026, after a ₹2 increase.
Because FTL is priced at the market rate, it moves every month along with commercial LPG. Here’s how the Delhi rate has gone this summer:
| Revision | Change | Delhi rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 June 2026 | +₹11 | ₹821.50 |
| 1 July 2026 | −₹13 | ₹808.50 |
| 1 August 2026 | −₹46.50 | ₹762.00 |
| 1 September 2026 | +₹2 | ₹764.00 |
Other cities are priced a little differently because of transport costs and local taxes, so expect a few rupees to a few tens of rupees either side of the Delhi figure. The seller will tell you the current rate for your city.
The first time you buy, you pay more than a refill, because you’re buying the cylinder itself, and usually a regulator, along with the gas. After that you only pay for the gas each time.
How it compares per kilo
This is the number that tells you whether FTL makes sense for you. In Delhi right now:
- 5 kg FTL: about ₹153 per kilo of gas
- 19 kg commercial: about ₹145 per kilo
- 14.2 kg domestic: about ₹66 per kilo
So gas in an FTL cylinder costs a little more than twice what it does in a regular domestic cylinder. If one 5 kg cylinder lasts you a month, you’re paying ₹764 for gas that would cost you less than half that on a domestic connection.
That’s the price of convenience: no address proof, no deposit, no waiting. For a student or someone who moves every year, it’s often worth it. For a family staying put in one place, a regular connection is far cheaper over time.
Which Company Sells What
- Indane (IndianOil): Chhotu is the 5 kg FTL cylinder. Indane also sells an even smaller 2 kg cylinder called Munna.
- HP Gas: the 5 kg FTL cylinder is called HP Gas Appu.
- Bharat Gas: sold as Bharat Gas Mini.
Prices are similar across the three in the same city. Pick whichever has an outlet closest to where you live, because that’s where you’ll be going for every refill.
How to Buy One
Where to go
Indane says Chhotu is available at its distributors, at IndianOil petrol pumps, and at selected kirana stores and local supermarkets. HP Gas Appu is sold through HP Gas distributors, some HP petrol pumps, and some kirana and utensil shops. BPCL has also offered home delivery of Bharat Gas Mini in some big cities, ordered through its 1800 22 4344 number, so that’s worth a try if you’re in a metro.
The simplest way to find one near you: ask at the nearest gas distributor or petrol pump of any of the three companies. Even if they don’t stock it, they’ll know who does.
What to carry
Just one government-issued identity proof. No address proof, no rent agreement, no photographs, no forms that take a week.
What happens at the counter
- Show your ID.
- Pay for the cylinder and gas. Ask whether the regulator is included, since it usually is the first time.
- Check the cylinder before you leave: seal intact, no dents, no smell of gas, and a test due date on the collar strip that hasn’t passed.
- Keep the bill. You’ll want it if you ever return the cylinder.
The whole thing really does take around ten minutes.
Refilling
This is where FTL is genuinely better than a regular connection.
- No gap rule. Domestic 14.2 kg connections currently have a minimum gap between refills: 25 days for most urban connections and 45 days in rural areas. The 5 kg FTL cylinder has no such gap. Refill whenever it runs out.
- No booking. You take the empty cylinder to an outlet and swap it for a full one.
- Works across cities. Indane says a Chhotu cylinder can be refilled at any of its points of sale or distributors anywhere in the country. Move from Pune to Delhi and you keep using the same cylinder.
Just remember it’s company-specific. An Indane Chhotu gets refilled at Indane outlets, not at HP or Bharat Gas.
Returning It When You Leave
For Chhotu cylinders bought from a point of sale, Indane offers a buy-back at a fixed ₹500 per cylinder. So if you’re leaving the city, or moving to a regular connection, you get some of your money back rather than being stuck with a spare cylinder.
Check the buy-back terms with your seller for HP Gas Appu and Bharat Gas Mini, since they may differ.
Can You Use It in a Shop?
Yes. This is the other big difference from domestic cylinders. A domestic cylinder used in a tea stall or food cart is illegal and can be seized. The FTL cylinder is a non-domestic product, and Indane specifically lists small commercial establishments with limited space among the people it’s meant for.
For a small stall, a cart, or a shop with a single burner, a couple of FTL cylinders can be simpler than a full 19 kg commercial connection. For a busy kitchen going through a lot of gas, the 19 kg commercial cylinder works out slightly cheaper per kilo.
Is It Right for You?
It suits you if:
- You’re a student, a working professional in a new city, or living in a PG or rented room
- You don’t have local address proof
- You cook for one or two people, or only now and then
- You move cities often
- You run a small stall or cart
You’re better off with a regular connection if:
- You’ll be in the same place for a couple of years or more
- You cook every day for a family
- You can get local address proof without too much trouble
A regular connection needs a refundable deposit of about ₹2,450 upfront. But at current Delhi rates, every 5 kg of gas you use costs roughly ₹430 less on a domestic connection than in an FTL cylinder, so if you cook daily, the difference adds up quickly.
Staying Safe With a Small Cylinder
Small doesn’t mean harmless. A 5 kg cylinder holds the same pressurised gas as a big one, and the same rules apply:
- Keep it upright, on the floor, in a ventilated spot. Never inside a closed cupboard.
- Keep it away from the stove’s heat and out of direct sunlight.
- Turn the regulator off when you’re done cooking, and always at night.
- Don’t carry it lying down in a rickshaw or on a bike footrest.
And one warning that matters more for small cylinders than big ones: never get a small cylinder “filled” at a roadside shop. In many cities, shops transfer gas from domestic cylinders into small ones through a pipe. It’s illegal, the cylinders are often overfilled or damaged, and it has caused serious accidents. Always swap your empty for a sealed, factory-filled cylinder at an authorised outlet.
Quick Answers
What is the price of a 5 kg gas cylinder in Delhi?
A 5 kg FTL refill is ₹764 from 1 September 2026. The first purchase costs more because it includes the cylinder.
Do I need address proof for a 5 kg cylinder?
Not for the FTL cylinder. Any government-issued ID proof is enough.
Is there a security deposit?
Not for Chhotu. You buy the cylinder outright, and Indane offers a ₹500 buy-back when you return it at a point of sale.
Does the 5 kg FTL cylinder get any subsidy?
No. It’s sold at market price, which is why it costs more per kilo than a domestic cylinder.
Is there a limit on how often I can refill it?
No. Unlike domestic connections, FTL cylinders have no minimum gap between refills.
Can I take my Chhotu cylinder to another city?
Yes. It can be refilled at Indane outlets anywhere in India.
Picking the Right Size
The 5 kg FTL cylinder is the fastest way to start cooking in a new city: ID card in, cylinder out, no paperwork. You pay for that convenience at a little over twice the per-kilo price of a domestic cylinder. So use it while you’re settling in, and once you know you’re staying, a regular connection will save you real money.
Details on Chhotu, including where it’s sold, are on IndianOil’s Chhotu page. If the rate you’re charged is very different from what’s here, tell us your city and we’ll look into it.
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