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Propane or butane for a UK barbecue

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are in the garage with a new gas barbecue and three bottles that all claim to be the right gas. Green Patio Gas, red propane and butane are not one fitting, and a Campingaz cartridge is a different appliance again. For a propane or butane barbecue in the UK, the inlet decides, not the colour of the cylinder. Propane is the outdoor fuel Calor points to, but only when the regulator and the valve match that bottle. Peter F. edits DIY and tools at Products Compared. Prices are GBP shelf figures. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The models in this set are on the [gas barbecue comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/gas-barbecue).

You are in the garage with a new gas barbecue and three bottles that all claim to be the right gas. Green Patio Gas, red propane and butane are not one fitting, and a Campingaz cartridge is a different appliance again.

Our top picks

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill

Best overall

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill
9.2/10about £96.01
View offer
CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Original 4+1

Rank 2

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Original 4+1
8.8/10about £199.99
View offer
Weber Weber Q 1100N

Alternative

Weber Weber Q 1100N
8.8/10about £289.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Why propane wins outdoors in the UK
  2. 2.Patio clip-on, red propane and butane
  3. 3.What a 37 mbar kit does not prove
  4. 4.Cartridges and Weber Q canisters

Why propane wins outdoors in the UK

Propane is the better outdoor bottle when the barbecue is built for it, because it still vaporises in cold air. Calor puts propane at about −42°C and butane at about −2°C. Butane can stop on a cool evening while liquid remains in the bottle. Store cylinders outside, away from sun and frost. GOV.UK says not to light a barbecue indoors, in a tent, under an awning or in a caravan. If a balcony is your only site, neither fuel helps.

Patio clip-on, red propane and butane

Green Patio Gas is propane with a 27 mm clip-on. Red propane is the same gas, with a screw valve instead of that clip. Butane uses its own clip, commonly a 21 mm pattern, and a regulator around 28 mbar. Calor kits for the patio clip are marked 37 mbar. Those heads are not interchangeable. A 37 mbar head on butane, or a 28 mbar head on propane, feeds the burners at the wrong pressure. If the clip needs a shove, stop. A heater hose that screws onto red propane still will not fit a green 27 mm clip at 37 mbar, though both cylinders hold propane. Fit the connection the manual names. Burner count is on the gas barbecue buying guide, and it does not change this valve.
Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill

Testsieger

Campingaz Campingaz Party Grill
9.2/10about £96.01
View offer

What a 37 mbar kit does not prove

Patio trolleys in this set are propane-shaped, and the hose is often missing from the carton. The Calor Universal BBQ Kit is a separate 37 mbar clip-on regulator and hose for a green patio bottle. Buying it does not prove that a CosmoGrill inlet matches. The Original 4+1 was about £199.99, with 4.4 from 1,036 reviews. That is the price of the grill. If the bullets omit the hose, you pay again before the first cook. The fuel line should say propane or Patio Gas, the regulator 37 mbar, and the hose end the inlet you can see. Leave the kit if one line disagrees. The soapy-water check is on the how to use a gas barbecue page. A lasting smell, or any fixed pipe, needs a Gas Safe engineer.

Cartridges and Weber Q canisters

A cartridge grill is not a small trolley. The Campingaz Party Grill was about £96.01, with 4.6 from 4,208 reviews. The title prints CV470 and R907 together, but CV470 is the cartridge and R907 is a different cylinder. Do not add a patio regulator to turn one code into the other. Buy the path named on your carton. The Weber Q 1100N and Q 1200N were about £289 and about £389, each with one 2.93 kW burner. Saved UK reviews describe small canisters, not a patio cylinder. Use an adapter only if that model's instructions name one. If the manual is silent, do not bridge the gap with a shop reducer.

Common questions

Is propane or butane better for a UK BBQ?
Propane is the better outdoor choice when the barbecue is built for it. Calor puts vaporisation at about −42°C for propane and about −2°C for butane, so butane can fade on a cold patio. That advantage holds only if the regulator and valve match the bottle. Butane is still the right gas on a butane-marked appliance in milder weather.
What is Patio Gas?
Patio Gas is Calor's green propane with a 27 mm clip-on, sold for barbecues and patio heaters. Cold weather is not the problem, because it is propane, but the valve is not the screw fitting on a red cylinder. A 37 mbar regulator with a 27 mm clip seats on the green bottle. The red cylinder needs the screw hose made for that valve.
Will a Calor Universal BBQ Kit fit my CosmoGrill?
The kit is a separate 37 mbar clip-on regulator and hose for a patio bottle. It fits a CosmoGrill only if that inlet is the connection the kit was made for, and the box is not proof of the thread. Many trolley listings also omit the hose. Check the manual for propane, 37 mbar and the hose end. A cartridge code or another pressure means you should leave the kit.
What is 37 mbar compared with 28 mbar?
37 mbar is the mark on Calor kits for patio propane. About 28 mbar is the butane regulator, and the two heads are not interchangeable. Patio Gas uses a 27 mm clip, butane commonly a smaller clip, and red propane a screw valve. The wrong head can leave burners weak, roaring or leaking. Match the plate on the barbecue, and do not stack adapters.
Can I put a patio bottle on a Weber Q?
Saved UK reviews of the Q 1100N and Q 1200N describe small canisters, not a patio cylinder. A 27 mm clip is a different system from those canisters. Fit an adapter only when that model's instructions name one. A shop reducer is not approval by silence. If you want Patio Gas at home, choose a patio trolley and check its inlet before you buy the bottle.
What gas does the Campingaz Party Grill use?
CV470 and R907 share one amazon.co.uk title in this set, and they are different supplies. CV470 is the cartridge. R907 is another cylinder connection. Do not swap the jets or join them with a patio regulator. Buy the code on your carton. A saved price of about £96.01, and a weight of about 4.9 kg, describe the grill, not the code you own.

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Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: fire safety outdoors (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK: LPG general information (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. legislation.gov.uk: Regulation (EU) 2016/426 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. legislation.gov.uk: Gas Appliances (Enforcement) Regulations 2018 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. BSI: BS EN 498:2012 outdoor LPG barbecues (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Calor: gas bottles for BBQs (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Calor: Universal BBQ Kit (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. London Fire Brigade: easy-read fire safety booklet (retrieved 22 October 2026)