The global helium market is once again under pressure. Following years of pricing volatility and repeated supply disruptions, the analytical science community now faces the prospect of a fifth major helium shortage in less than two decades. For laboratories reliant on gas chromatography, the message is becoming increasingly clear: helium can no longer be viewed as a stable utility gas, but rather as a constrained and strategically managed resource.
The fragility of the helium supply chain stems from a simple fact: helium is not manufactured, but recovered as a by-product of natural gas processing. Global production is therefore concentrated in only a small number of regions, with Qatar alone accounting for more than one third of worldwide supply in 2025 [1,2]. Recent disruption to the Ras Laffan refinery and shipping constraints through the Strait of Hormuz have once again exposed how vulnerable the market remains to geopolitical instability [3,4].
Source: WMI Helium Facts / Grand View Research / Gasworld (global helium application data used as proxy for UK industrial demand)
These supply disruptions are occurring against a backdrop of steadily increasing demand from higher-priority sectors including healthcare, semiconductors and advanced electronics manufacturing. MRI systems, fibre optics and semiconductor fabrication all compete directly for limited helium resources, often receiving priority allocation during periods of shortage. By comparison, analytical laboratories and GC applications occupy a lower tier in the supply hierarchy, leaving many laboratories increasingly exposed to allocation restrictions, extended lead times and price escalation.
Pricing pressure has also become structural rather than temporary. Since the privatisation of the US Federal Helium Reserve in 2013, crude helium prices have risen sharply, with repeated shortages continually resetting the market at higher baseline prices. Unlike many industrial commodities, helium pricing remains relatively opaque and contract-driven, meaning increases are often delayed but rarely reversed.
Indicative pricing range informed by publicly available UK supplier catalogue pricing, helium surcharge notices, university procurement information, industry reporting and historic helium benchmark trends. Prices are illustrative only and may vary significantly depending on purity, cylinder size, rental terms, contract volume and supply conditions.
As a result, laboratories are increasingly evaluating alternatives to helium wherever method performance allows. In gas chromatography, hydrogen has emerged as the leading substitute due to its ability to support higher linear velocities and improve sample throughput whilst maintaining chromatographic performance.
The safe use of hydrogen in gas chromatography has improved significantly and hydrogen generators incorporate internal leak detection, automatic shutdown systems, self-diagnostic monitoring, forced ventilation and low internal gas volumes to minimise risk. Because hydrogen is generated only as required, the quantity of stored gas is dramatically lower than with conventional cylinders, significantly reducing explosion and leak hazards.
Incorporating all of the safety features mentioned above, the new Intura Hydrogen Generators from PEAK Scientific offer the latest Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) cell technology to separate deionizied water through electrolysis, alongside in-built water quality monitoring and pre- and post-filtration to produce 99.99999% purity hydrogen at flow rates up to 1500cc/min. The Intura systems also offer the advantage of reduced footprint and are one of the lowest power consumption units amongst comparable generators, lowering operational costs and improving your sustainability credentials.
The use of hydrogen as a carrier for GC systems equipped with flame ionisation detection (FID) has become routine, requiring relatively minor translation of method conditions to achieve separations at least equivalent to those achieved with helium carrier. In GC-MS, conversion is a little more complex, but with modern hydrogen compatible ion source designs, improved system inertness and highly efficient vacuum systems, conversion to hydrogen carrier gas is a viable option.
The industry is therefore undergoing a gradual but significant strategic shift. Rather than eliminating helium entirely, laboratories are increasingly reserving it for essential methods while transitioning routine applications toward hydrogen or nitrogen carrier gases. In an environment of continuing geopolitical uncertainty, rising demand and constrained production capacity, reducing dependency on helium is rapidly becoming both an operational and commercial necessity.
Crawford Scientific can assist you to make the change to hydrogen in your laboratory;
- Specifying the correct gas generator based on your use and capacity requirements
- Translating methods for equivalent or improved performance
- Advising on hydrogen use with GC-Mass Spectrometry
- Intura Gas Generators from PEAK Scientific
Contact us to work with a reliable and experienced partner to achieve independence in carrier gas supply and make the switch to Hydrogen.
References
- Reuters, Helium prices soar as Qatar LNG halt exposes fragile supply chain, 12 March 2026.
- Visual Capitalist, Ranked: Global Helium Production by Country, April 2026.
- Reuters, Air Liquide says Qatar's Ras Laffan restart would bring relief to helium markets, 28 April 2026.
- Bettenhausen, C., Iran war threatens global helium supply, Chemical & Engineering News, March 2026.
