Who Ferrellgas is
Ferrellgas was founded in 1939 in Atchison, Kansas, and is now headquartered in Overland Park. With roughly 700,000 residential and commercial customers, it is the third-largest US propane retailer behind AmeriGas and Suburban Propane. The company is structured as a master limited partnership and trades over-the-counter under the ticker FGPR.
Ferrellgas filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2020 and emerged from reorganisation in March 2021 with a restructured balance sheet. The operating business — bulk delivery, tank installation, customer service — was not disrupted during the proceedings, but the financial restructuring did reset some customer-facing terms and corporate governance. For broader competitive context see top national propane companies.
Blue Rhino — the tank exchange business
Ferrellgas's most visible consumer brand is Blue Rhino, the leading US grill-cylinder exchange operator. Blue Rhino-branded cylinders are sold at roughly 60,000 retail locations — Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, supermarkets, gas stations — making it one of the most recognisable propane brands at the consumer level even for households that have never used bulk-delivery propane.
Blue Rhino competes head-to-head with the AmeriGas Cylinder Exchange network. The standard exchange cylinder is the 20 lb grill tank, typically filled to ~15 lb (about 3.5 gallons) — a deliberate fill-volume reduction that lets the company hit a more attractive price point while keeping pallet weight manageable for retail handling.
Services offered
For bulk residential customers, Ferrellgas offers the standard US propane menu: automatic and will-call delivery, tank installation and leasing, system maintenance, and 24/7 emergency response. Commercial accounts include agricultural, motor fuel, forklift cylinders, and industrial users.
Pricing programmes include market-rate per-delivery quotes, fixed-price contracts, capped pricing, and automatic delivery with budget billing. Local depot menus vary — confirm what's available at your address before signing.
Pricing
Ferrellgas prices like the other large nationals — at or near regional market average, with the standard $1.50–$2.00 per gallon retail markup over Mont Belvieu spot. The post-bankruptcy era has not produced systematically different pricing from the company; if anything, Ferrellgas's restructured cost base means it has limited room to compete aggressively on price against deep-pocketed competitors.
High-volume customer-owned-tank accounts get the best rates; light leased-tank will-call customers get the worst. See Ferrellgas rates, current US propane prices, and what affects propane prices for context.
Customer experience
Ferrellgas has the same district-by-district variability as competitors, with one additional historical wrinkle: customer satisfaction took a hit during the Chapter 11 period (2020–2021) when the company was managing through restructuring. Reviews have since stabilised but remain mixed depending on the local depot.
Common complaint themes mirror the rest of the industry: price changes between fills, slow auto-fill scheduling in peak weeks, surprise fees, and friction at contract exit. The Blue Rhino cylinder-exchange experience is operationally separate from bulk-delivery service and tends to draw fewer customer-experience complaints (it's a transactional purchase, not an ongoing account relationship).
Strengths and weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Multi-state coverage with full residential service menu | Smaller scale than AmeriGas and Suburban — less route density in some markets |
| Blue Rhino brand offers convenient cylinder access nationwide | Post-bankruptcy financial position weaker than competitors |
| 24/7 emergency response | Customer experience took a hit through 2020–2021; recovery uneven |
| Standard contract menu (fixed, capped, auto-fill, budget) | Pricing rarely beats local independents |
| Strong agricultural and commercial presence in the Midwest | Less digital sophistication than Suburban's customer portal |
Alternatives to Ferrellgas
The two larger nationals are AmeriGas (largest, 50 states) and Suburban Propane (#2, 41 states). Strong regional alternatives by geography: Blossman Gas (Southeast), Cenex (CHS) (Midwest/Plains), Paraco Gas (Northeast), MFA Oil (Midwest), Lakes Gas (upper Midwest), ThompsonGas, Pinnacle Propane. Full list on list of propane companies.
When Ferrellgas is the right choice
Ferrellgas tends to be the right pick when the local depot has a strong reputation in your area (worth checking with neighbours or local online reviews) and the quote comes in competitively against the other two nationals. For Blue Rhino cylinder exchange — patio heaters, grills, occasional cylinder use — Ferrellgas is the default choice at most retail locations.
As always, the disciplined approach is three quotes: Ferrellgas, one other national, and at least one local independent. See getting quotes and how to select a propane company.
Frequently asked questions
Did Ferrellgas go bankrupt?
Yes. Ferrellgas filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2020 and emerged from reorganisation in March 2021 with a restructured balance sheet. Day-to-day customer service and delivery were not disrupted during the proceedings.
Does Ferrellgas own Blue Rhino?
Yes — Blue Rhino is Ferrellgas's grill-cylinder exchange brand and the largest such network in the US, with cylinders available at roughly 60,000 retail locations.
Is Ferrellgas publicly traded?
Ferrellgas Partners L.P. trades over-the-counter under the ticker FGPR. It is not listed on the NYSE or Nasdaq.
Ferrellgas vs AmeriGas vs Suburban — which is best?
None is consistently best. All three price near regional market averages and have variable service quality district-by-district. The right answer for your address depends on which national has the strongest local depot and how the quote stacks up against a good local independent.