CO2 Fire Extinguishers

Q: What size CO2 fire extinguisher do I need?

Classify the hazard, take the minimum Class B rating NFPA 10 assigns to that classification and travel distance, then pick the agent weight that carries it. A 10 lb unit at 10-B:C is the common default for an electrical room, an equipment closet or a telecom shelter, and it is the size most facility orders here land on. Move up to 15 lb or 20 lb for longer discharge and fewer refills, not for a higher rating. Smaller units suit a single panel, a bench or a lab station where the extinguisher has to be light enough to grab one-handed.

Q: Is a 15 or 20 lb CO2 extinguisher rated higher than a 10 lb?

No. Across the Buckeye line the 10 lb, 15 lb and 20 lb portables all carry the same 10-B:C rating. The extra agent extends discharge time, with Buckeye publishing 9 seconds at 10 lb against 20 seconds at 20 lb, while effective range stays at 4 to 8 ft. If a code review or an insurer is asking for a higher B rating, more agent in a portable will not get you there. The 50 lb wheeled CO2 unit is the next step up at 20-B:C.

Q: Can a CO2 fire extinguisher be used on a Class A fire?

CO2 portables are rated B:C, not A:B:C. CO2 knocks down flame but does not cool or wet the fuel bed, so a deep-seated fire in wood, paper or textiles is likely to re-ignite. Use CO2 for the flammable-liquid and energized-equipment hazard, and cover the Class A load in the same space with a separate unit. Our UL 154 page explains why the listing comes out B:C only.

Q: How often does a CO2 fire extinguisher need service?

CO2 cylinders are high pressure, so they run on a different clock than a stored-pressure dry chemical unit: monthly visual inspection, annual maintenance, and hydrostatic retest every 5 years rather than every 12. The date that governs is stamped on the cylinder shoulder, not printed on the paper tag. Our CO2 inspection and testing guide shows how to read those marks.

Q: How do CO2 extinguishers ship, and can they be returned?

These are charged, pressurized cylinders shipped as compressed gas (UN 1044), so they move as hazmat and cannot be returned once shipped. Larger sizes and the wheeled unit ship freight. Lead time is shown on each product page. See our shipping and returns policies, and ask for a delivered quote if a dock or liftgate has to be arranged.

7 products in this collection ↓

Which CO2 extinguisher size do you need?

Choose by room size and energized-equipment hazard. CO2 is residue-free and non-conductive; for occupied server rooms or sensitive electronics, compare CO2 and Halotron clean agent before standardizing.

Unit	Best for	Rating	Price
10 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher	Electrical rooms, server-room support spaces, production equipment, and facility maintenance coverage.	10-B:C	$264 View →
15 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher	Larger electrical or mechanical rooms where a standard 5 lb handheld is undersized.	10-B:C	$307 View →
20 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher	Larger electrical or mechanical rooms where a standard 5 lb handheld is undersized.	10-B:C	$367 View →
5 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher	Small electrical closets, panels, labs, and light equipment areas where clean discharge matters.	5-B:C	$257 View →
10 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher	Electrical rooms, server-room support spaces, production equipment, and facility maintenance coverage.	10-B:C	$421 View →
15 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher	Larger electrical or mechanical rooms where a standard 5 lb handheld is undersized.	10-B:C	$492 View →
20 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher	Larger electrical or mechanical rooms where a standard 5 lb handheld is undersized.	10-B:C	$582 View →

Red fire extinguisher with black hose on a white background

Buckeye 10 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher, alternate view 2

$264

View →

10 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher

Electrical rooms, server-room support spaces, production equipment, and facility maintenance coverage.

Rating: 10-B:C

A red fire extinguisher mounted on a light gray cinderblock wall next to industrial electrical panels and conduit with colorful wiring.

$307

View →

15 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher

Larger electrical or mechanical rooms where a standard 5 lb handheld is undersized.

Rating: 10-B:C

$367

View →

20 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher

Larger electrical or mechanical rooms where a standard 5 lb handheld is undersized.

Rating: 10-B:C

Kidde Pro 5 CD CO2 Fire Extinguisher 5 lb — red aluminum cylinder with black CO2 discharge horn and KIDDE Carbon Dioxide instruction label

$257

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5 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher

Small electrical closets, panels, labs, and light equipment areas where clean discharge matters.

Rating: 5-B:C

Kidde Pro 10 CD CO2 Fire Extinguisher 10 lb

$421

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10 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher

Electrical rooms, server-room support spaces, production equipment, and facility maintenance coverage.

Rating: 10-B:C

Kidde Pro 15 CD CO2 Fire Extinguisher 15 lb

$492

View →

15 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher

Larger electrical or mechanical rooms where a standard 5 lb handheld is undersized.

Rating: 10-B:C

$582

View →

20 lb CO2 Fire Extinguisher

Larger electrical or mechanical rooms where a standard 5 lb handheld is undersized.

Rating: 10-B:C

Comparison of CO2 fire extinguishers by size, room type, hazard, rating, and price.

Outfitting electrical rooms, server rooms, or a facility program?

Ask for volume pricing on CO2 and clean-agent extinguishers, including US-made options, handheld and wheeled sizes, and spec sheets for your fire marshal, insurer, or facilities team.

or call 714-248-6555 · email partners@usmadesupply.com

Carbon dioxide extinguishers cover Class B flammable-liquid fires and Class C energized-equipment fires and leave nothing behind. The agent sits in the cylinder as a liquefied gas under its own pressure, discharges as a cold white cloud, smothers the fire by displacing oxygen, then dissipates. There is nothing to wipe off boards, drives, switchgear, or a control console. The carbon dioxide construction standard is UL 154, and the A, B and C ratings on the label are assigned under UL 711. Listings differ by model, so check the marks on the product page for the unit you are buying.

Size by rating first, then by discharge time

Agent weight and UL rating do not move together, and that is where most size comparisons go wrong. Across the Buckeye line the 10 lb, 15 lb and 20 lb portables all carry the same 10-B:C rating, and Buckeye publishes the same 4 to 8 ft range for all three. Stepping up from 10 lb to 20 lb does not raise the B rating. It buys discharge time and cuts how often a unit comes off the wall for a refill.

Manufacturer published figures for the Buckeye CO2 line. Other brands publish their own, and distributor sheets sometimes state a range where the manufacturer states a nominal value, so check the spec sheet for the exact unit you are buying.

Agent weight	UL rating	Discharge time	Effective range
10 lb	10-B:C	9 seconds	4 to 8 ft
15 lb	10-B:C	15 seconds	4 to 8 ft
20 lb	10-B:C	20 seconds	4 to 8 ft
50 lb wheeled	20-B:C	40 seconds	15 ft

Figures above are for the Buckeye units. More than one manufacturer is represented at several sizes, so the same nominal size can appear twice at different prices; brand, rating, listing and country of origin are on each product page. Mounting differs by unit. Some ship with a wall hook, others take a bracket or a fire extinguisher cabinet ordered separately, and the cabinet selection guide covers recessed against surface mount.

Matching the rating to the hazard

NFPA 10 sets the minimum Class B rating from the hazard classification of the space and how far a person has to walk to reach a unit. Light hazard takes 5-B at 30 ft of travel or 10-B at 50 ft. Ordinary hazard takes 10-B at 30 ft or 20-B at 50 ft. Extra hazard starts at 40-B. Classify the space, read the rating off the table above, then lay out placement to the travel distance. Full tables, mounting heights and the service cycle are on the NFPA 10 page.

Note the ceiling. The largest portable CO2 here is rated 10-B:C, so an extra-hazard flammable-liquid area is not covered by portable CO2 on its own. That is where the 50 lb wheeled unit, a higher-rated agent, or more units come in. The Class B fire extinguisher guide works through hazard classification, and the final call belongs to your authority having jurisdiction rather than to a rating on a label.

Where these units go

Buyers here are protecting installed electrical and RF equipment rather than general building contents: telecom and tower sites, satellite ground stations, renewable energy facilities, broadcast and control rooms, server rooms and equipment closets, switchgear and generator rooms, laboratories, machine shops, and fire-protection contractors stocking their own accounts. The common thread is a residue-free agent that can be used near expensive gear.

Telecom has its own constraint. NFPA 76 prohibits dry chemical and corrosive-liquid portable extinguishers in the signal-processing, main distribution frame and power areas it governs, which leaves CO2 and clean agent as the practical options. Our communication tower site guide walks the shelter, the generator and the service cycle for remote sites. Motorola R56 section 3.12 calls for a 7 to 10 lb Class BC CO2 unit, or an equivalent clean agent, in the electronic equipment room. R56 is Motorola Solutions' own site standard rather than a law, so confirm count and placement against your site design and your AHJ.

What CO2 does not cover

There is no Class A rating on a CO2 extinguisher. The agent does not soak into wood, paper or fabric, so a deep-seated Class A fire can re-ignite after the gas clears, and a space carrying both hazards needs a Class A unit as well. CO2 also leaves no lingering suppression on Class B, so fuel still above its autoignition temperature can light again. And a full discharge into a small closed room can displace enough oxygen to endanger anyone inside, which is the usual reason a small occupied shelter gets Halotron instead. Our sensitive electronics guide puts the two side by side, and the Class C fire extinguisher guide covers electrical fires more broadly.