S.T. Dupont Gas Refill Guide: Which Gas Does Your Lighter Need?

An S.T. Dupont lighter does not take just any butane. Each model is made for one of five S.T. Dupont refills, known by the colour of the can: yellow, green, red, blue or black. The nozzle of each refill is shaped for its own valve, so the wrong can either does not fit, leaks gas while you fill, or slowly wears the seal inside the lighter.

The good news: your lighter tells you which gas it needs. Below is the full chart, how to read the colour mark on your own lighter, and how to refill it so the flame is right the first time.

Which gas does your S.T. Dupont need?

This is the S.T. Dupont chart for the models collectors meet most often. The colour dot inside the refill cap of your own lighter confirms it (more on that below).

The Défi Extrême and XXtrême have their own tall red refill (000436). Not sure which model you own? Our guide to every S.T. Dupont model shows them side by side.

How to read the colour mark on your lighter

The refill valve of every S.T. Dupont sits on the bottom of the lighter, under a cap. On most lighters that cap has a small lip: lift it with a fingernail and use it to turn the cap out. Only the oldest lighters, early Ligne 1 models among them, have a slotted screw cap that you turn with a coin.

Now look inside the cap you took out. S.T. Dupont put a dot of paint there, in the colour of the gas the lighter needs. That is the refill to buy.

Without a dot, go by the model in the chart above, or send us a photo of the lighter and we will tell you which gas it needs.

How to refill an S.T. Dupont, step by step

Refill in a well aired room, away from any flame, with the lighter and the can at room temperature.

1. Open the refill cap. Lift the lip of the cap on the bottom (or use a coin on the oldest lighters), turn it out and check the colour dot inside.
2. Bleed it first if the flame was irregular. If the flame jumps, changes height or the lighter pops when you light it, there is probably air in the tank. With the lighter upside down and pointed away from you, press the valve briefly with a blunt pin until the hiss stops, then refill. Lighters from us are bled after their service, so before a first refill this is normally not needed; when the flame misbehaves later, it is well worth a try.
3. Turn both upside down. Hold the lighter with the valve up and the can vertical above it, nozzle down.
4. Press firmly for about three seconds. Push the can straight down onto the valve. You will hear the gas flow; when it stops, the tank is full. Do not force it or rock the can.
5. Wait a few minutes. The gas needs to warm up and settle, and any gas on the outside needs to evaporate. Then close the cover and light it.

If the flame is too high or too low after refilling, it can be adjusted. How to do that differs per model; our S.T. Dupont maintenance guide explains flame adjustment and changing the flint for each line.

Why the right gas matters

The colour is not marketing. The refills differ in nozzle shape and in the gas pressure the burner is set for. With the wrong one, three things happen in our experience:

• It does not seal. Gas escapes around the nozzle, the lighter fills only partly and you lose half a can.
• The flame is wrong. Too high, too low or unstable, even after adjusting.
• The valve suffers. Generic adapters and impure butane can damage the valve seal or clog the burner. It is not something we see every week, but when it happens it means a repair, and it is easily avoided.

S.T. Dupont itself links its warranty to the use of its own gas and flints, which is one more reason to stay with the original refills.

Vintage lighters: what we see in the workshop

Most vintage S.T. Dupont lighters we sell are Ligne 1, Ligne 2 and Gatsby models from the 1970s to the 1990s. Every one is checked, cleaned and tested before it leaves us, and a few things come back again and again:

• Old gas, dried seals. A lighter that sat in a drawer for years often needs new seals before it holds gas again. Refilling it over and over will not solve that.
• Ligne 1: the size decides. Every regular Ligne 1 takes red and every small Ligne 1 takes yellow, whatever its age.
• Small Ligne 2, green. The small Ligne 2 takes green, like the Gatsby; the regular one takes yellow. They look alike in photos, so check the size in our models guide, or simply look at the dot inside the cap.

Looking for one? Browse our vintage Ligne 2 lighters and vintage Ligne 1 lighters, each one checked and serviced in our workshop. Lighters are shipped empty, as the shipping rules require, so the first refill is yours.

When a refill does not help

If the lighter still will not light after a proper refill with the right gas, the problem is elsewhere. Check these in order:

1. Sparks but no flame: purge as in step 2, refill and wait a few minutes.
2. No sparks: the flint is worn. S.T. Dupont flints come in their own colours too: Ligne 1, Ligne 2, Gatsby, Soubreny and Urban take the black flint.
3. You smell gas or hear a hiss when closed: a seal is leaking. Stop using it and have it serviced.

We service the lighters we sell. For a lighter bought elsewhere, get in touch and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth it.