Where to Buy CO2: 15 Places That Fill or Sell CO2 Tanks & Cylinders

Carbon dioxide, or CO2, has several home applications, including home brewing, kegerators, paintball guns, SodaStream machines, bike tires, hydroponics (indoor gardening) equipment, and freshwater aquariums with live plants. To maintain any of these things, you’ll need a regular supply of CO2, either in small cartridges or large tanks.

Below, we provide the list of places where you can buy or refill CO2 tanks, both in stores near you and online. Note that while many stores will sell CO2 cartridges or tanks online, these products are often restricted to ground-only shipping (i.e., many U.S. stores can only ship to the 48 contiguous states).^[1]

Some places sell pre-sized cartridges specifically for SodaStream machines and paintball guns, while others sell tanks in a variety of sizes. We also discuss a few additional local options that may sell CO2, such as independent paintball stores or hydroponics shops.

What We Recommend

If you need larger CO2 tanks and you want the opportunity to fill and refill the tanks in-store, Airgas will likely be your best option. However, if you are looking for smaller CO2 tanks and cartridges, you can likely find such products at DICK’S Sporting Goods and Academy Sports + Outdoors — both in-store and online — and select store locations will also refill tanks. If you’re looking only to buy CO2 tanks and you do not need a refill service, you can also find tanks of various sizes online at Amazon.

Comparison Table

See the table below for a brief overview of the stores that sell and refill CO2 tanks, then click any store or scroll for more details.

Places That Sell and/or Refill CO2 Tanks

Of the stores that sell CO2 tanks, only a few offer tank refills — we list them below, starting with the best overall options.

Stores That Sell and Refill CO2 Tanks

1. Airgas

• Sizes: Five-pound, 10-pound, 20-pound, 35-pound, 40-pound, 55-pound, 60-pound, and larger tanks (unfilled, but you can fill them upon purchase at the store)^[2]
• Availability: In-store, online^[2]
• In-store refills: Yes^[2]
• Cost: Tanks start at $100 up to $500 or more for largest sizes; tank refills are about $15 for a five-pound tank exchange; tank refills start at around $12 up to $50 or more for largest sizes^[2]
• Find a location

2. DICK’S Sporting Goods

Note: DICK’S Sporting Goods has begun eliminating firearms and ammunition from its stores,^[3] and as part of this rollback, some stores and states may no longer be selling or refilling CO2 tanks and cartridges. You can contact your intended DICK’S Sporting Goods location to confirm that it has CO2 available.

• Sizes: 12-oz. and 20-oz. tanks and cartridges^[4]
• Availability: In-store, online^[5]
  
• In-store refills: Yes^[6]
• Cost: About $30 for 20-oz. tank, filled free when you purchase in-store or online with proof of purchase; tank refills are $3.50 for a 12-oz. tank and $4.50 for a 20-oz. tank. Refills are not available for larger tank sizes. Get every fifth tank refill free by signing up for the “Aim for Five” program.^[6]
• Find a location

3. Academy Sports + Outdoors

• Sizes: 90-gram prefilled cylinders; 20-oz. tank (empty); 24-oz. tank (empty)^[7]
• Availability: In-store, online (select products)^[7][8]
• In-store refills: In select stores^[7][8]
• Cost: About $13 to $25 for tanks; around $10 for refills, where available^[7][8]
• Find a location

4. Walmart

• Sizes: 12-gram prefilled cartridges; 90-gram prefilled cartridges; 12-oz. tank (empty); 20-oz. tank (empty)^[9]
• Availability: In-store, online^[10]
• In-store refills: No^[10]
• Cost: Around $13 to $31, depending on size^[9]
• Find a location

5. REI

• Sizes: 12-gram, 16-gram, 20-gram, and 38-gram prefilled cartridges^[11]
• Availability: In-store, online^[11][12]
• In-store refills: No^[12]
• Cost: Around $3 to $15, depending on the brand^[11]
• Find a location

6. Ace Hardware

• Sizes: 12-gram prefilled cylinders for paintball guns^[13]
• Availability: In-store, online (select products)^[13][14]
  
• In-store refills: No^[14]
• Cost: About $5 to $16, depending on brand and quantity^[13]
• Find a location

Online Stores That Sell CO2 Tanks

If you need a larger CO2 tank, there are some online stores that sell them. You can also find paintball and SodaStream CO2 cartridges online. Generally, small cartridges sold online are filled, while large CO2 tanks sold online are empty because the law prohibits them from being shipped to many areas when prefilled.^[1]

1. Amazon

• Sizes: SodaStream 60L tanks, paintball CO2 cartridges; various sizes of unfilled CO2 tanks from 20 oz. to 50 pounds^[15]
• Cost: Ranges from around $7 to $270, depending on size and brand^[15]
• Start shopping

3. Keg Outlet

• Sizes: Prefilled cartridges; tanks ranging from 1.5 pounds to 50 pounds^[16]
• Cost: Cartridges around $10 to $13; tanks from around $55 to $400^[16]
• Start shopping

2. Gas Cylinder Source

• Sizes: Tanks from 2.5 pounds to 50 pounds^[17]
• Cost: Ranges from around $30 to $275^[17]
• Start shopping

4. Rapids Wholesale Equipment

• Sizes: Five-pound, 10-pound, and 20-pound tanks^[18]
• Cost: From around $59 to $129^[18]
• Start shopping

Other Places to Refill CO2 Tanks

While there are not many national chain stores that refill CO2 tanks, you can often find a local business with the equipment to refill larger tanks. You should call ahead to local stores and find out whether they offer this service before visiting.

The types of local stores that are most likely to refill CO2 tanks include:

• Welding supply stores
• Paintball stores and paintball fields
• Sporting goods stores
• Fire equipment supply stores
• Hydroponics shops

We called local stores of these types in a number of states, including California, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin to get price ranges for CO2 tank refills. In general, the costs range from around $10 to $20 for refills, depending on the size of the tank.

Some stores will refill your tank, while others only offer tank exchanges. Again, it’s a good idea to call your local store ahead and find out what services it offers for CO2 tank refills.

Places That Don’t Sell or Refill CO2 Tanks

In the course of our research and communications with store representatives, we found that the following stores do not sell, refill, or exchange CO2 tanks:

• Cabela’s
• Gander RV & Outdoors (formerly Gander Mountain)
• Lowe’s
• The Home Depot

More Information

For more on SodaStream machines, see the list of places where you can exchange carbonator cartridges. Or, if you’re into beer and home brewing, check out our list of where to buy a keg of beer (including prices), and find out where you can sell empty beer kegs.