12kg LPG cylinder now Tk 2,060, up Tk 475 in two months

The price of a 12kg cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at the consumer level has been raised by Tk 223 to Tk 2,060. Until now its price was Tk 1,837.

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) issued a notification raising the price on Monday evening (2 November). The new price took effect at 8pm the same day. In September the same cylinder cost Tk 1,585; on that basis, the price of a 12kg cylinder has risen by Tk 475 in the last two months. In October it had been raised by Tk 252.

In March, the same 12kg cylinder cost Tk 1,341. The price has risen by Tk 719 in six months. Under the notification, prices were also set for other cylinder sizes - 5.5kg at Tk 944, 12.5kg at Tk 2,146, 15kg at Tk 2,575, 16kg at Tk 2,747, 18kg at Tk 3,090, 20kg at Tk 3,434, 22kg at Tk 3,777, 25kg at Tk 4,292, 30kg at Tk 5,150, 33kg at Tk 5,665, 35kg at Tk 6,009 and 45kg at Tk 7,726.

Those concerned say the LPG market in Bangladesh, like the rest of the world, has become unstable because of the situation in the Middle East, especially the Iran-United States conflict. Most of Bangladesh's LPG used to be brought from Middle Eastern countries; now 85 percent of LPG is being brought from the United States. As a result, extra shipping charges have been added to LPG prices on the international market.

Towards the end of September, transport costs, especially LPG carrier or ship hire charges, rose abnormally. The transport cost per tonne of LPG then rose from $120 to $250. For this reason operators reduced LPG imports; at the same time, realising in advance that prices would rise because of ship hire, companies limited LPG supply.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku could not normalise the matter despite meeting after meeting. Distributors' and retail traders' movement was added to the owners' non-cooperation; they too called a strike demanding higher profits. As a result, extra profit was added to international market prices.

On the international market, Saudi Aramco's LPG contract price (CP) has risen significantly in November this year compared with November last year. In November 2025, propane cost $475 per tonne, which has risen to $720 in November this year - an increase of $245, or 51.6 percent. Over the same period, butane rose from $460 per tonne to $780 - an increase of $320, or 69.6 percent.

Price fluctuations throughout the year were also large. In January a 12kg cylinder was Tk 1,253 (Tk 1,306 by another BERC account), and in February Tk 1,356; later, after a VAT reduction of Tk 15, the price stood at Tk 1,341 and remained unchanged in March. In April the price was raised by a total of Tk 599 in two rounds - Tk 387 in the first round and Tk 212 in the second - reaching Tk 1,940.

After that, it fell by Tk 55 in June and Tk 357 in July, bringing the price down to Tk 1,528. It rose by Tk 70 in August to Tk 1,598, and fell by Tk 13 in September to Tk 1,585. Then, with the two rounds of increases in October and November, the price reached Tk 2,060.

By comparison, in April 2021 a 12kg LPG cylinder cost Tk 975, which stood at Tk 1,940 in April 2026 - the price has risen by Tk 965 in five years, about 99 percent.