Propane
130071-47-5 · 36427-14-2 · 74-98-6 · Bottled gas · D-Ala35-Tirzepatide · D-Ile27-Tirzepatide · D-Pro36-Tirzepatide · D-Tyr10-Tirzepatide · dimethyl methane · Dimethylmethane · Freon 290 · HSDB 1672 · InChI=1/C3H8/c1-3-2/h3H2,1-2H · INS NO.944 · INS-944 · IPZJQDSFZGZEOY-UHFFFAOYSA-N · n-Propane · n-Propane- · Praseodymium doped ceria · propan · PROPANE · Propane (NF) · Propane liquefied · Propane, 98% · Propane, 99.95%, Messer(R) CANGas · Propane, 99.97% · Propane-1-13C · Propane-2-d · Propyl hydride · Propyldihydride · Purifrigor p 3.5 · QSPL 135 · E944 · PropaneE number E944CAS 74-98-6
Listed as a propellant by Canada and the US.
Listed as propellants and aerating agents (CA, US)
- Canada: Aerating agent and pressure dispensing agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Purposes of Use (List 8)
- United States: Propellant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: PROPANE
- United States: Propellants, aerating agents, and gases — 21 CFR 184.1655, citing 21 CFR 170.3(o)(25)
Propane is a propellant and packaging gas used in aerosol food products.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | Permitted, with conditions | 54 food categories no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) Show every food category
| Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5and 53 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| Canada | Permitted | no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) In: Unstandardized foods. Purpose: Aerating agent and pressure dispensing agent. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice. | Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Purposes of Use (List 8), item P.15retrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | Permitted, with conditions | 1 food category quantum satis. only vegetable oil pan spray (for professional use only) and water-based emulsion spray. | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex IIretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Great Britain | Permitted, with conditions | 1 food category quantum satis. only vegetable oil pan spray (for professional use only) and water-based emulsion spray. | Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II (as at 28 June 2024)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Permitted | 21 CFR 184.1655retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Australia and New Zealand | — | 54 GMP |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | — | 1 GMP |
| European Union | — | 1 quantum satis |
| Great Britain | — | 1 quantum satis |
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
No regulator sets a figure for Propane. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.
What it is made from
Separated from natural gas processing and petroleum refining.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 74-98-6
- InChIKey
- ATUOYWHBWRKTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- PubChem
- CID 6334
How the EU defines it
The legal specification an additive must meet to be sold as this E number in the EU — what it is, how it may be made, and the purity it must reach. From Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.
E 944 Propane
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Chemical name
- Propane
- Chemical formula
- CH₃CH₂CH₃
- Molecular weight
- 44,09
- Assay
- Content not less than 95 %
- Description
- Colourless gas or liquid with mild, characteristic odour
Identification
- Vapour pressure
- 732,910 kPa at 20 °C
Purity criteria
- Methane
- Not more than 0,15 % v/v
- Ethane
- Not more than 1,5 % v/v
- Isobutane
- Not more than 2,0 % v/v
- n-Butane
- Not more than 1,0 % v/v
- 1,3-butadiene
- Not more than 0,1 % v/v
- Moisture
- Not more than 0,005 %
Authorised in other additives, enzymes, flavourings and nutrients
These authorisations are not for use in food. They let this substance be used inside another additive, a food enzyme, a flavouring or a nutrient preparation — often as a carrier — and it reaches food only as part of that product. Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.
| Part | May be used in | Maximum level | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annex III, Part 2: Food additives other than carriers in food additives | Colour preparations of group II and group III as defined in Part C of Annex II (for professional use only)Note (1): Except enzymes authorised as food additives. | 1 mg/kg in final food | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 2 |
Every name it appears under
34 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E944
CAS registry number
- 130071-47-5
- 36427-14-2
- 74-98-6
As it appears in regulation
- Propane
Other names
- Bottled gas
- D-Ala35-Tirzepatide
- D-Ile27-Tirzepatide
- D-Pro36-Tirzepatide
- D-Tyr10-Tirzepatide
- dimethyl methane
- Dimethylmethane
- Freon 290
- HSDB 1672
- InChI=1/C3H8/c1-3-2/h3H2,1-2H
- INS NO.944
- INS-944
- IPZJQDSFZGZEOY-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- n-Propane
- n-Propane-
- Praseodymium doped ceria
- propan
- PROPANE
- Propane (NF)
- Propane liquefied
- Propane, 98%
- Propane, 99.95%, Messer(R) CANGas
- Propane, 99.97%
- Propane-1-13C
- Propane-2-d
- Propyl hydride
- Propyldihydride
- Purifrigor p 3.5
- QSPL 135
Hazard reference values
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI | not specified | — | JECFA | 1979 |
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is E 944?
- E 944 is Propane. Propane is a propellant and packaging gas used in aerosol food products.
- What is Propane used for in food?
- It is listed as a propellant — the role Canada and the US assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Propane permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, the EU, Great Britain and the US permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Propane vegan?
- Yes. Propane is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- anz retrieved 2026-10-17
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- eu retrieved 2026-10-18
- gb retrieved 2026-10-18
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.
Follow changes to Propane:Atom feed — regulatory events, and any change the weekly refresh detects in its provisions.