Industrial Gases & Cryogenic Systems worked example

Cylinder Loss Reserve at 2.16% target cylinder loss reserve rate: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop target cylinder loss reserve rate to 2.16%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate cylinder loss reserve percentage from cylinders missing or written off, total cylinders at risk, and target loss reserve rate.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Missing or written-off cylinders: 38 cylinders (held at the documented default)
  • Total cylinders at risk: 1,200 cylinders (held at the documented default)
  • Target cylinder loss reserve rate: 2.16 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 3)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Cylinder loss reserve rate = missing or written-off cylinders ÷ total cylinders at risk × 100.
  • Cylinder loss reserve rate works out to 3.17 % at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Cylinder loss reserve gap to target works out to -1.01 points at these inputs.
  • Missing or written-off cylinders works out to 38 count at these inputs.
  • Total cylinders at risk works out to 1,200 count at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target cylinder loss reserve rate sits at 3% and the headline result is 3.17 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 3.17 %.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to target cylinder loss reserve rate, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It is a point-in-time ratio on the population you define as at risk; it does not distinguish recoverable from permanently lost cylinders, nor account for replacement cost differences between cylinder types.

Results at a glance

  • Cylinder loss reserve rate: 3.17 % (headline result)
  • Cylinder loss reserve gap to target: -1.01 points
  • Missing or written-off cylinders: 38 count
  • Total cylinders at risk: 1,200 count

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Cylinder Loss Reserve calculator, set target cylinder loss reserve rate to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.