Why Test Your Cylinders in Ireland
No ferry. No customs. No delay. Here's what shipping cylinders to Britain actually costs — and why testing them here doesn't.
1. Turnaround: days, not weeks
A cylinder sent to the UK for testing doesn't just travel there and back. It queues for freight, clears customs twice, waits its turn in a UK facility's schedule, and then makes the same journey home. Every one of those steps adds days — and a delay in any one of them adds more.
Testing at our Kilmallock facility removes the ferry crossing and the customs process entirely. Cylinders that would have been in transit for a fortnight can be tested, refurbished and back with you in days.
2. The landed cost of a UK test
A UK test price looks competitive until you add everything else that comes with sending a cylinder across the Irish Sea. Every job is priced individually, so request a like-for-like quote from us and compare it against your UK supplier's total landed cost — not just their headline test price.
| Cost element | Testing in the UK | Testing with CTS, Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Test & certification fee | Quoted per job | Quoted per job |
| Freight / ferry | Haulage and ferry crossing, both directions | None — nationwide collection from your yard |
| Customs paperwork & clearance | Customs agent fees and declarations, both directions | None |
| Downtime while cylinders are unavailable | Weeks | Days |
| Number of invoices / suppliers | Multiple (test, freight, customs agent) | One |
3. Keeping your EU (Pi) validity
Since the UK left the EU, periodic inspection carried out by a body appointed under Great Britain's own regulatory regime is recognised for use within Great Britain. It doesn't automatically carry EU (Pi-mark) validity.
This matters if your cylinders need to be placed on the market or used within the EU: to keep their EU Pi-mark validity, they typically need periodic inspection by a body notified under the EU framework — which is what we provide from Kilmallock.
We are the only facility in Ireland that is ISO 18119, TPED and ADR compliant and equipped to handle fire suppression system cylinders — so there's no longer any need to send that work across the Irish Sea.
This distinction concerns Great Britain specifically. It does not describe the position for Northern Ireland, which sits under different arrangements.
If you have cylinders that were last tested in Great Britain and you're not sure where that leaves you, see our FAQ: my cylinders were tested in the UK — are they still valid here?, or call us on (063) 69 698 to talk it through.
4. Irish jobs, lower emissions
Every cylinder tested here is a cylinder that didn't need a ferry crossing and a return trip. That's a smaller transport footprint for your business, and it keeps skilled testing and refurbishment work — and the jobs that go with it — in Ireland rather than exporting it.
See what it costs to test with us
Send us your cylinder details and compare our quote against your current UK supplier's total landed cost.