Air Products Announces 15% North America Price Increase for Liquid and Bulk Helium Gases

Effective September 1, 2011, or as contracts permit, Air Products (NYSE: APD) will be implementing a price increase of 15 percent for liquid and bulk helium gases in North America.

The pricing adjustment is the result of several factors including the continued strong demand over the past year for helium and significant reductions in supply. The helium market has been tight across the globe with product allocations implemented by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and with many other global helium sources producing below capacity.

Additionally, new helium sources located primarily outside of the U.S. are extremely expensive, wholesale prices for crude and processed liquid helium have increased, and costs have escalated for power and diesel.