• Large distribution network ensuring reliable local supply
• Broad range of supply options
• Product purities to meet your specifications
• 24 hours/day, 7 days/week Customer Service Centre 1-800-BOC-GASES
• 24 hours/day, 7 days/week National Scheduling Centre 1-800-232-4726

BOC offers multiple modes in which we can satisfy your argon demand. Based on your needs, BOC can offer :

• Bulk deliveries of liquefied pure argon
• Bulk deliveries, in certain areas, of our 2.2 percent oxygenated argon known as ArNOTM
• Direct pipeline of either liquid or gaseous argon
• Cylinder deliveries of argon in liquid state or compressed gas
• Total on-site gases management (bulk and cylinder)

Although argon accounts for less than 1 percent of the atmosphere, it is the most abundant truly inert gas and is increasingly important to industry. While nitrogen is sufficiently inert for most metallurgical applications, argon is the optimum choice for more extreme conditions.
Argon is used primarily in the steel industry. It is blown into furnaces to stir the molten metal and flush other gases. Argon is also used as a shielding atmosphere in the welding, electronic, metal fabrication aluminum processing and glass coating industries.

A co-product of oxygen and nitrogen production, argon is manufactured commercially by means of air separation technology. In a cryogenic process, atmospheric air is compressed and cooled. Following liquefaction, the air is fractionally distilled based on the different boiling points of each component.

During distillation, liquid nitrogen, the coldest, is the first product extracted. Next, a stream of mixed liquid oxygen and argon (plus other gases) are withdrawn. This crude stream, containing approximately 10 percent argon, is refined in a separate distillation column to produce argon with 97 percent purity.

BOC Gases currently operates 33 argon production facilities throughout the United States and Canada. These plants produce and distribute over two hundred thousand tons of argon per year. All of these facilities are, or are in the process of becoming, ISO 9002 registered.

Both the BOC National Scheduling Centre and Customer Service Centre operate around the clock to accommodate scheduling, service inquiries and emergencies. Our TEL-TANKTM telemetry system enables BOC to remotely monitor liquid levels, ensuring timely deliveries.

With more than 650 retail locations, BOC has the largest distribution network in the industry, providing customers with a reliable, local source of supply.

BOC Gases employs hundreds of service specialists, technicians, and engineers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

We can tailor an argon supply method based on your application's volume, purity, pressure and other key parameters. Our engineers can design, engineer, install and maintain the most efficient, cost-effective supply solution in the industry. BOC Gases offers a wide range of equipment and systems designed to enhance productivity at the point where argon is delivered and used.

For more details, please contact the BOC Gases regional office nearest you.