Gases that are produced commercially for use in other industries are called industrial gases. They can be organic or inorganic and extraction methods can vary from separation processes from the air to chemical synthesis. Industrial gases are stored as compressed gas, liquefied gas or solids. They are transported via pipelines or in cylinders. Bulk transport is also done via trains, trucks and ships.

What are the common industrial gases?
Industrial gases are composed of one or more gases. The most common industrial gases are:

Air and air gases
Dry air is mainly composed of oxygen, nitrogen and argon and other trace gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor and ozone. Air gases are produced in bulk in an air separation unit.     

Elemental gases
Elemental gases can be monatomic, diatomic or triatomic gases. The most common are:
* Helium (He)
* Neon (Ne)
* Argon (Ar)
* Krypton (Kr)
* Xenon (Xe)
* Hydrogen (H2)
* Oxygen (O2)
* Nitrogen (N2)
* Fluorine (F2)
* Bromine (Br2)
* Chlorine (Cl2)
* Iodine (I2)
* Ozone (O3)

Compound gases
Compound gases are composed of two or more elements. The most common are:
* Carbon monoxide (CO)
* Ammonia (NH3)
* Carbon dioxide (CO2)
* Nitrous oxide (N2O)
* Hydrogen chloride (HCl)
* Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)
* Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
* Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)

Hydrocarbon gases
Hydrocarbon gases are mainly used for heating, lighting and energy transmission. Common gases are:
* Methane (CH4)
* Acetylene (C2H2)
* Ethane (C2H6)
* Ethene (C2H4)
* Propane (C3H8)
* Propene (C3H6)
* Butane (C4H10)
* Butene (C4H8)

Industrial gases stored in liquefied form
The most common industrial gases available in liquefied form are:
* liquid nitrogen
* liquid oxygen
* liquid helium
* liquid hydrogen
* liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
* liquefied natural gas (LNG)

Industrial gases stored in solid form
The most common industrial gas stored in solid form is:
* carbon dioxide, commonly known as "dry ice"

Applications of industrial gases
Industrial gases are used in various industrial applications such as:
* cryogenics
* welding and cutting
* food processing
* semiconductor
* metallurgy
* manufacturing glass, ceramics, other minerals
* metal and polymer industry
* water treatment
* medical treatments
* chemical industry
* environmental protection
* medical gases
* chemical warfare

Industrial gases are widely used and are invaluable in industry processes. Gas production is carried out using advanced technology in plants, and the processes are largely environment friendly. Safety at the plants and quality of the industrial gases is assured by compliance with laws such as CGA, NFPA, DOT, FDA, and OSHA.