Gas Spring, Gas Strut, Gas Lift, Tailgate Strut: What Are They Called and Are They the Same?
The same part goes by many names: gas spring, gas strut, gas lift, lift support, tailgate strut, hood strut, gas prop. In Chinese it is called 氣彈簧, 油壓桿, 氣壓棒, 尾門桿 and more. This page lists the common names, whether they mean the same thing, and the parts that are often confused with them.
Most of these names mean a gas spring
The rod that holds up a car tailgate, a bonnet, an office chair or a lift-up cabinet is a gas spring. Its cylinder holds high-pressure nitrogen and a little oil: the nitrogen provides the force and the oil cushions the end of the stroke.
| Name | Where it is used | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Gas spring | Technical and general | Gas spring |
| Gas strut, gas prop | UK, Australia | Gas spring |
| Gas lift, lift support | Furniture, automotive aftermarket | Gas spring |
| Tailgate strut, hood strut, bonnet strut | Automotive | Automotive gas spring |
| Chair gas lift, gas cylinder | Office furniture | Locking gas spring |
Three parts that are often confused
- Hydraulic cylinder: driven by an external hydraulic pump and capable of very high force, used on machine tools and construction equipment. Some people call gas springs "hydraulic struts", so a drawing or photo helps when asking for a quotation.
- Damper: only resists motion and slows it down; it does not hold anything up.
- Shock absorber: absorbs impact and vibration. Its build – a cylinder tube with a piston rod – is very similar, and it is often made on the same kind of production line.
Further reading
Machines for gas spring cylinders
Whatever the customer calls it, the cylinder goes through cutting, roll grooving, end closing, inner grooving, oil filling and press-fit & edge folding. TONG DA Precision (Tainan, Taiwan, since 1989) designs and builds these machines, as single machines or a complete line. For quotations, email sales@tdco.com.tw.