Propane fuels grills, home heating systems, farm equipment, and backup generators, on-road vehicles and more. It is part of the same energy family as natural gas and crude oil. While propane starts out as a gas, it can be stored as a liquid under pressure, which makes it easy to transport.

Propane is separated during natural gas processing. Raw natural gas is not just methane. It also contains propane and other hydrocarbons. At processing plants, those heavier components are removed and separated into useful products. A smaller share of propane also comes from crude oil refining.

One of propane’s biggest advantages is its portability. It can be stored in tanks and moved by pipeline, truck, rail, or barge. When it is needed, it changes back into gas and is ready to use. Propane is also colorless and odorless in its natural state, so an odor is added to help people detect it.

Propane is widely used because it is versatile. It can heat homes and water, fuel stoves and dryers, power forklifts and farm equipment, and serve as a fuel for vehicles and generators.

Propane also has environmental advantages compared with heavier liquid fuels. If released, it does not spill and soak into the ground like gasoline, diesel, or fuel oil. It does not pool in water or leave the same kind of long-term soil or groundwater contamination those fuels can cause. It is also considered a clean, low-emission fuel because it produces fewer emissions than gasoline or diesel in many applications (EPA).

All fuels, regardless of type of fuel, need to be properly handled. Propane has unique qualities itself and is handled according to state and federal standards.

Propane remains a practical fuel choice because it is portable, dependable, and cleaner than many other conventional fuels.