Exhibit 5

                   McCausland, Keen & Buckman
                     Radnor Court, Suite 160
                   259 N. Radnor-Chester Road
                   Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087

                         August 12, 2003


Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549

Re:  Airgas, Inc.
     Registration Statement on Form S-8/2003 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Dear Sir or Madam:

     We have acted as counsel to Airgas, Inc. (the "Company"), a
Delaware corporation, in connection with the preparation and
filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the "Registration
Statement").  Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall
have the meanings ascribed to them in the Registration Statement.

     The Registration Statement covers (i) 1,500,000 shares (the
"Shares") of the Company's Common Stock which may be issued and
sold by the Company under the Company's 2003 Employee Stock
Purchase Plan (the "Plan") and (ii) interests in the Plan to be
issued to those employees of the Company and its subsidiaries who
participate in the Plan (the "Interests").  We have examined the
Registration Statement, including the exhibits thereto, the
Company's Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, the Company's
Bylaws, as amended, the Plan and related minutes of actions taken
by the Board of Directors of the Company.  In the foregoing
examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures,
the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals
and the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as copies
of originals.

     Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the
Shares, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of
the Plan, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable,
and that the Interests, when issued in accordance with the terms
of the Plan, will be validly issued.

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     We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5
to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not
hereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose
consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder.

                              Sincerely,

                              McCAUSLAND, KEEN & BUCKMAN

                              /S/Nancy D. Weisberg
                              _________________________________
                              Nancy D. Weisberg, Vice President





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