Which cartridges are EN417, and what fits them?

EN417 is a European standard for non-refillable metal cartridges for liquefied petroleum gases. Its scope is the cartridge: how it is constructed, how it is inspected and tested, how it must be marked, and - for cartridges that carry one - the standardised valve connection an appliance screws onto. That is the whole of it. It is a container standard, not a torch standard, and it says nothing about the tool you fit to the top.

The reason a standard like this exists is harmonisation. If the can and its valve are built and marked to a known pattern, an appliance maker can design a connection that mates with any compliant cartridge, and a buyer in one country can trust a can bought in another. That shared interface is the practical value of the mark.

The takeaway for anyone shopping for parts is narrow but useful: if a can is marked EN417, you know what the cartridge itself was built and marked against. You do not learn anything about the flame you will get from it.

It is not a flame temperature rating. The heat at the tip depends on the burner design, the air or oxygen supply, and the gas blend - none of which is fixed by the cartridge standard. Our own EN417 torch head is quoted at up to 1300°C because of its burner and its built-in mixing fan, not because EN417 says so.

It is not a blend specification either. EN417 cans are commonly filled with butane or a butane blend, and some markets sell propane-heavy mixtures in cans that look much the same on the shelf. Read the label for the gas, not the standard number, if the gas matters to your job.

And it does not certify the appliance. A torch head described as "for EN417 cartridges" is telling you which connection it was made for. It is not a performance guarantee, and it is not a safety certification of the tool itself.

EN417 is a recognised mark, so it ends up printed on things it does not certify. You will see "EN417 compatible", "fits all EN417", "EN417 certified" - sometimes accurate, sometimes pure decoration, and occasionally attached to a part that has no gas connection at all.

The useful question is: EN417 what? A cartridge? A valve connection? An appliance? A seller who means it can answer in one sentence. A listing that cannot is borrowing the credibility of the standard to sell you something the standard has no opinion on.

Treat the mention as a claim to be checked, not a fact to be relied on. Checking takes one photograph and one message, which is cheaper than a head that will not seal.

You can usually settle it in under a minute without any tools. Look at the printing on the can: an EN417 cartridge carries the standard number, the gas it contains, the net fill, a non-refillable or do-not-refill warning, and the maker’s name. A can with no standard number, no fill marking and no maker is an unknown - do not build a purchase on it.

Then look at the top. A valved cartridge has a small metal valve boss with a self-closing centre that you press to release gas. A pierceable cartridge has a flat membrane that the appliance punctures. Our heads are built for the valved type; a pierceable can has no valve thread to screw onto, and no adapter turns one into the other safely.

If you are still unsure, photograph the top of the can straight-on and send it along with the label text. That is faster and more reliable than any measurement you can take at the bench, and it is the same check we run here.

Cartridge ranges differ by country and by shop, so treat any list as a starting point rather than a verdict. The examples we reference on this site are the Campingaz CV270, CV300 and CV470 - cans marketed with an EN417-type valve. We name them as examples only. Thread fit is confirmed on the actual unit, not on the name, and we do not publish brand-to-brand fitment claims. That is why our product pages name the standard and confirm the fit with you, rather than printing a model as compatible.

Beyond those, most hardware shops, camping shops and builder’s merchants stock own-brand equivalents carrying the same kind of valve. The body size, the fill and the blend vary rather more than the valve does, which is why a can that looks identical to last year’s can still deserves a glance at the label.

That variation is also why your local shop is the right place to buy gas, and why the fit question belongs with whoever is selling you the metal part. The shop knows what is on its own shelves; we know what our heads are machined for. Between the two, the answer is usually quick.

The valve on an EN417 cartridge is self-sealing: unscrew the appliance and the valve closes itself. That is what makes a part-used cartridge safe to disconnect, cap and carry, and it is the reason a cartridge torch can be packed away mid-job without emptying or wasting gas.

It follows that you never pierce, drill or force one. Keep the valve face clean and free of dents, check the sealing surface before you screw a head on, and if the seal on the appliance side looks flattened, cracked or hardened, replace it before it becomes a leak - our service kit with seals and driver exists for exactly that.

Storage is unglamorous but it matters: keep cartridges cool, upright and out of direct sun, and do not leave a head screwed on in a hot van. If you smell gas at the connection, stop. Unscrew in open air, let it disperse, and re-check the seal rather than tightening harder.

Cartridge availability is local by nature. Which brands a stockist carries, what blend is in the can, and even the valve fittings on the shelf all shift between markets. A cartridge bought in one country is not automatically the same article as its lookalike in another, even under the same brand name.

There is also the matter of carriage. A pressurised cartridge is hazardous goods: heavy relative to its contents, restricted by carriers, and awkward to move across a border. Carriers treat it differently from ordinary parcels, and rightly so.

Gas is therefore the one part of the kit you should always buy where you work. It is quicker, it avoids the carriage problem entirely, and it means the can you are holding is one your local shop will still stock next month.

TorvPro ships dry parts only. No cartridges, no cylinders, nothing pressurised - which is why our heads, nozzles, rods and spares can go by ordinary post worldwide, including our EN417 cartridge nozzles.

What that means in practice: you order the metal, you buy the gas down the road, and you are not waiting on a hazardous-goods shipment to start work. It also means there is no minimum fuss about where we can deliver.

We quote per order rather than publishing a price list, because most orders are mixed or trade-quantity and a single figure would mislead either way. Trade enquiries go through the wholesale page.

Send three things: a straight-on photo of the cartridge valve, a photo of the can label showing the standard number and the gas, and the model of the head or torch you intend to fit. If you already own the appliance, a photo of its inlet helps too.

We check the pairing against the seat families used in our nozzle compatibility chart and reply with a yes, a no, or a request for one more photo. If the fit cannot be confirmed, we say so rather than guess - a wrong seat leaks, and a leak at a gas connection is not a small problem.

That check costs you one message and costs us nothing, so it is worth doing before you order rather than after. Start on the contact page.