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Food and Entertaining
Barbecue
Barbecue Equipment
How to Measure the Remaining Propane Download ArticleExplore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Questions & Answers Video Tips and Warnings Related Articles References Reviewed by Julian Beer Company
Last Updated: April 13, 2025 Fact Checked
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This article was reviewed by Julian Beer Company. Julian Beer Company is based in Julian, California. Established in 2011 by BBQ Expert and Business Operator, Jeremy Marsaglia, the Julian Beer Company specializes in handcrafted beers and barbecue. Restaurant Guru named it #1 Barbecue in Julian in 2020. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 291,134 times.
The only accurate way to measure the propane left in a propane tank is to weigh it. The following are the steps needed to find the amount of propane left in a propane tank and to approximate the length of time it will take to burn the propane in a given appliance.
Steps
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1 Engraved on the side of the tank should be the letters TW then a number. This number is the empty tank weight. For example, the typical 5 gallon (18.9 L) propane tank might say TW 17.2. The weight of the empty tank in the example is 17.2 lbs.[1]XResearch source
2 Weigh the tank on a bathroom scale to find the total current weight. Let's say that the current weight of the tank is 24.2 lbs.[2]XResearch source Advertisement
3 Subtract the tank weight from the total weight to find the weight of the propane. 24.2 lbs - 17.2 lbs = 7 lbs.[3]XResearch source
4 Each pound of propane contains 21,600 BTUs.[4]XResearch source Multiply the number of pounds by the number of BTUs contained in each to get the total number of BTUs remaining in the tank. 7 × 21,600 ≈ 151,000 BTUs.
5 Find the BTU output of the appliance in question. These can often be found on manufacturers web sites. For example a propane grill may burn 12,000 BTUs an hour. To find the remaining running time for the grill divide 151,000 by 12,000. 151,000 ÷ 12,000 ≈ 12.6 hours of run time.[5]XResearch source
6 For easy future reference. divide 12.6 hours by the aforementioned 7 lbs to get 1.8 hours of grill run time per pound of bathroom scale measured propane.[6]XResearch source
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Question How much does a full canister of propane gas weigh? Community Answer Most canisters contain 20 pounds and weigh 17 pounds when completely empty. A full canister would contain 37 pounds. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 14 Helpful 49
Question I have a propane cylinder that has written on it in large letters "11kg", but I have weighed the cylinder and it's 20 kg. Is there 9 kg of propane left? Community Answer If the "11kg" appears after "TW" (for tare weight), then you are correct. The tare weight is the weight of the tank when empty. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 12 Helpful 20
Question How many pounds does it take to make a gallon? Community Answer You cannot convert pounds to gallons unless you know the density of the liquid. Let's assume you have a pound's worth of a solution, and this solution weighs one fourth of a pound for every quart. Convert the pounds to quarts and convert the quarts to gallons. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 21 Helpful 12
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Reviewed by: Julian Beer Company BBQ Experts This article was reviewed by Julian Beer Company. Julian Beer Company is based in Julian, California. Established in 2011 by BBQ Expert and Business Operator, Jeremy Marsaglia, the Julian Beer Company specializes in handcrafted beers and barbecue. Restaurant Guru named it #1 Barbecue in Julian in 2020. This article has been viewed 291,134 times. 232 votes - 90% Co-authors: 13Updated: April 13, 2025 Views: 291,134 Categories: Barbecue Equipment In other languages Spanish Italian Russian Japanese
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Reader Success Stories
David Berry
Jul 2, 2020
"I have bought gauges for my gas tank and still could not tell how much left in it, magnetic strips on it to pour out water on it. Still couldn't tell. But a article here told me that reading the T.W. weight and using bathroom scale, it worked great."..." more
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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Julian Beer Company BBQ Experts Co-authors: 13Updated: April 13, 2025 Views: 291,13490% of readers found this article helpful. 232 votes - 90% Click a star to add your vote
David Berry
Jul 2, 2020
"I have bought gauges for my gas tank and still could not tell how much left in it, magnetic strips on it to pour out water on it. Still couldn't tell. But a article here told me that reading the T.W. weight and using bathroom scale, it worked great."..." more
Jim Mulhearn
Nov 7, 2017
"Loved the article, never saw it put together like this before. Thanks for the great chart and explanation." Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories
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Download Article Explore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Questions & Answers Video Tips and Warnings Related Articles References Reviewed by Julian Beer Company 
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Reviewed by: Julian Beer Company BBQ Experts This article was reviewed by Julian Beer Company. Julian Beer Company is based in Julian, California. Established in 2011 by BBQ Expert and Business Operator, Jeremy Marsaglia, the Julian Beer Company specializes in handcrafted beers and barbecue. Restaurant Guru named it #1 Barbecue in Julian in 2020. This article has been viewed 291,134 times. 232 votes - 90% Co-authors: 13 Updated: April 13, 2025 Views: 291,134 Categories: Barbecue Equipment In other languages Spanish Italian Russian Japanese 
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1 Engraved on the side of the tank should be the letters TW then a number. This number is the empty tank weight. For example, the typical 5 gallon (18.9 L) propane tank might say TW 17.2. The weight of the empty tank in the example is 17.2 lbs.[1] 
2 Weigh the tank on a bathroom scale to find the total current weight. Let's say that the current weight of the tank is 24.2 lbs.[2] Advertisement 
3 Subtract the tank weight from the total weight to find the weight of the propane. 24.2 lbs - 17.2 lbs = 7 lbs.[3] 
4 Each pound of propane contains 21,600 BTUs.[4] Multiply the number of pounds by the number of BTUs contained in each to get the total number of BTUs remaining in the tank. 7 × 21,600 ≈ 151,000 BTUs. 
5 Find the BTU output of the appliance in question. These can often be found on manufacturers web sites. For example a propane grill may burn 12,000 BTUs an hour. To find the remaining running time for the grill divide 151,000 by 12,000. 151,000 ÷ 12,000 ≈ 12.6 hours of run time.[5] 
6 For easy future reference. divide 12.6 hours by the aforementioned 7 lbs to get 1.8 hours of grill run time per pound of bathroom scale measured propane.[6] Advertisement 
Community Answer Most canisters contain 20 pounds and weigh 17 pounds when completely empty. A full canister would contain 37 pounds. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 14 Helpful 49 
Community Answer You cannot convert pounds to gallons unless you know the density of the liquid. Let's assume you have a pound's worth of a solution, and this solution weighs one fourth of a pound for every quart. Convert the pounds to quarts and convert the quarts to gallons. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 21 Helpful 12 
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