Relief for restaurants: Commercial LPG price cut by ₹192 per cylinder

Oil marketing companies on August 1 reduced the price of 19-kg commercial LPG cylinders by ₹192, bringing the rate in Delhi down to ₹2,738 from ₹2,930, with similar cuts recorded in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Alongside this, ATF prices were raised by ₹5 a litre, a move that will push up operating costs for domestic airlines even as commercial cooking gas becomes marginally cheaper for businesses.

This is the second consecutive monthly reduction in commercial LPG rates. Prices had fallen by ₹183.50 on July 1, the first cut of 2026, after climbing by a cumulative ₹1,345 across four increases between March 7 and June-end, driven largely by supply pressures linked to the West Asia conflict.

The August revision extends that easing trend as global crude prices have softened somewhat, even though geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran remain far from resolved.

Domestic LPG cylinders, by contrast, have stayed untouched through this entire cycle of commercial price swings. The 14.2-kg cylinder used by households was last revised on March 7, when it rose by ₹60 to ₹913 in Delhi, and has held steady since, insulating ordinary consumers from the sharper volatility seen in the commercial segment.

This gap reflects how domestic cylinders remain subsidised and price-protected for households, while commercial cylinders are fully market-linked and adjusted monthly based on international benchmark rates and exchange rates.

The divergence has been stark this year: even after August's cut, a 19-kg commercial cylinder in Delhi costs nearly three times as much as a 14.2-kg domestic one on a per-unit basis, despite carrying only about a third more gas by weight.

And this matters more for small business owners running dhabas, restaurants and catering services, where every rupee shaved off brings down costs.