The LPG cylinder chain of custody
A cylinder chain of custody is an unbroken, scan-by-scan record of every branded LPG cylinder as it moves from the filling plant, out to a depot, on to a retailer, into a customer's hands and back for refill. Each hop is stamped to a specific cylinder, so a missing, mis-branded or overdue bottle is visible the moment it happens.
A note on accuracy
LPG in Tanzania is licensed and price-regulated by EWURA, and the rules change over time. Where a specific regulation, fee or standard below is not confirmed from a current primary source it is marked and presented as general context, not settled fact. This is an explainer, not legal or regulatory advice.
What a cylinder custody chain is
A custody chain answers one question: where is this exact cylinder right now, and who last had it? Instead of counting bottles in bulk, each cylinder carries a durable identity — a QR/barcode or an RFID tag — and every time it changes hands, that identity is scanned. The scans line up into a timeline for the individual cylinder, not just a running total for the depot.
The value is in the gaps. A bulk count tells you that 40 cylinders left and 31 came back. A custody chain tells you which nine did not return, who signed for them last, and how long they have been out — while there is still time to recover them or charge the deposit.
It is the same custody pattern Trakora applies to other high-value returnable assets; on LPG it maps onto the cylinder's whole working life, from fill to requalification.
The five custody events
Each hop is a scan against a specific cylinder. Together they close the loop, so an unreturned or wrongly-filled cylinder surfaces as an exception instead of vanishing into a monthly variance.
Filling plant
A refilled cylinder is scanned as it leaves the plant against its brand and, where recorded, its inspection status — the first anchor in the chain.
/ custody-chainDepot dispatch
Cylinders scanned out to a depot or a delivery truck are assigned to that location and driver, so the float held at each depot is known, not estimated.
/ loss-reportsRetailer receipt
The retailer or sub-dealer scans on receipt. Custody now sits with them, and the deposit or consignment terms attach to named cylinders.
/ custody-chainCustomer delivery
Scan-on-delivery records the cylinder handed to the household or business — the point where an underfilled or off-brand bottle would otherwise go unnoticed.
/ scan-on-deliveryReturn & refill
An empty scanned back closes the loop and re-enters the refill cycle. A cylinder that never comes back trips an overdue-return alert against whoever last held it.
/ refill-cycleIllegal decanting, and traceability written into policy
Cylinder traceability is not just good housekeeping in Tanzania — it sits inside the regulatory conversation. EWURA has intervened repeatedly in the LPG market, including agreeing with dealers to stop selling very large household cylinders because the price differential drives illegal decanting — gas siphoned from one brand's cylinder into another's. Decanting is exactly what a per-cylinder custody chain exposes: an off-brand or unaccounted cylinder cannot quietly enter the loop.
Under the country's Branded Cylinder Recirculation Model (BCRM), associated with the Petroleum Act framework, it is treated as an offence to refill, rebrand, deface or maintain a cylinder without the brand owner's prior written authority — and the model's stated aims explicitly include tracking cylinders to improve traceability across the distribution chain. A custody record is the practical evidence a brand owner keeps to show its cylinders stayed within its own authorised loop.
For a legitimate marketer, the point is defensive: the operators losing money to decanting and cylinder theft are the ones playing by the rules. A custody chain turns "our cylinders keep disappearing" into a named, dated, recoverable list.
| Point | Status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Exact text of the 2013 Weights & Measures (Sale of LPG) marking rules | — | Referenced but primary text not read here. Confirm the current marking/labelling requirement with EWURA.† |
| Whether a TBS standard applies to cylinder identity/tags | — | Not confirmed. Trakora does not claim TBS approval for any tag or process.† |
| Any mandated cylinder requalification interval (years) | — | Requalification is real practice, but the exact interval is not stated here; confirm with your filler/EWURA.† |
2013 Weights & Measures (Sale of LPG) marking rules
TBS standard for cylinder identity/tags
Mandated requalification interval
The custody chain in the product
Every capability below is a real feature of the Trakora cylinder module — custody chain, loss reports and the refill cycle.
Per-cylinder identity
Each cylinder is registered with a durable QR/barcode or RFID tag and its brand, so every later scan attaches to one specific bottle.
/ custody-chainScan-by-scan timeline
Filling, depot, retailer, customer and return each stamp the cylinder, building a timeline you can read per bottle or roll up per location.
/ custody-chainOverdue-return alert
A cylinder out past its expected window trips an alert against whoever last held it — the practical trigger to recover it or apply the deposit.
/ cylinder_overdue_returnFloat & loss reports
See the float held at each depot and dealer and the cylinders unaccounted for over a period, instead of a single monthly variance number.
/ loss-reportsRefill & requalification cycle
Track how many fills a cylinder has seen and when it is due for its next inspection, so due dates are not missed.
/ refill-cycleDepot & dealer roles
Depot staff, sub-dealers and drivers each scan under their own login, so custody hand-offs carry an accountable name.
/ rolesThe honest boundary
Trakora's custody record is your own operational and commercial record. It is not an EWURA filing, it does not certify a cylinder as safe or requalified, and it does not replace the brand-authority and licensing obligations that sit with the marketer. It gives you the evidence and the alerts; the regulatory relationship stays yours.
Frequently asked questions
How does cylinder tracking work?
Each cylinder is given a durable QR/barcode or RFID identity, then scanned at every hand-off — filling, depot, retailer, customer and return. The scans build a per-cylinder timeline, so a missing or overdue bottle is visible instead of hidden in a bulk count.
How does a custody chain help against illegal decanting?
Because every legitimate cylinder is scanned into the loop against its brand, an off-brand or unaccounted cylinder cannot quietly join it. Decanting and cross-filling show up as cylinders that leave the chain or never return — a named, dated list rather than an unexplained shortfall.
QR/barcode or RFID — which should we tag with?
Both are supported. Barcodes and QR are cheap and simple to apply; RFID reads faster and without line-of-sight at a busy depot gate. The right choice depends on your volumes and scan points; we can talk it through for your operation.
Does this make us EWURA- or BCRM-compliant?
No — compliance stays your responsibility. A custody chain gives you the traceability record and the alerts that support good practice, but it is not an EWURA filing and does not grant brand authority or a licence. Confirm your specific obligations with EWURA.
What happens when a cylinder does not come back?
It trips an overdue-return alert against whoever last held it, with the date it went out. That is the moment to recover the cylinder or apply the deposit — see for LPG marketers and depot networks for how this rolls up across a dealer network.
Related pages
Put a custody chain on your cylinders
Tell us your brands, depot count and roughly how many cylinders you circulate, and we will scope a custody-tracking setup for your operation — priced in TZS.
This page is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Confirm current LPG requirements with EWURA and your brand authority before acting. Trakora does not claim TBS approval for any tag or process and does not issue EWURA or BCRM filings on your behalf.
Items marked — or footnoted are not confirmed from a current primary source. LPG rules, fees and standards change; each must be verified directly with EWURA or the relevant authority before being relied upon or presented as settled fact.