Liquid oxygen (also LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industry) is a form of the element oxygen. It has a pale blue color and is strongly paramagnetic. Liquid oxygen has a density of 1.141 g/cm³ (1.141 kg/L) and is moderately cryogenic (freezing point: 50.5 K (−222.65 °C), boiling point: 90.188 K (−182.96 °C) at 101.325 kPa (760 mm Hg).

In commerce, liquid oxygen is classified as an industrial gas and is widely used for industrial and medical purposes. Liquid oxygen is obtained from the oxygen found naturally in air by fractional distillation. Liquid oxygen has an expansion ratio of 860:1 at 20 °C; and because of this, it is used in some commercial and military aircraft as a source of breathing oxygen.

Due to its cryogenic nature, LOX can cause the materials it touches to become extremely brittle. Liquid oxygen is also a very powerful oxidising agent: organic materials will burn rapidly and energetically in liquid oxygen. Further, if soaked in LOX some can detonate unpredictably on subsequent contact.

Petrochemicals often exhibit this behavior, including asphalt. LOX is a common liquid oxidizer propellant for spacecraft rocket applications, usually in combination with liquid hydrogen or kerosene. LOX is useful in this role because it creates a high specific impulse.

It was used in the very first rocket applications like the V2 missile (under the name A-Stoff and Sauerstoff) and Redstone, R-7 Semyorka or Atlas boosters. LOX was also used in some early ICBMs, although more modern ICBMs do not use LOX because its cryogenic properties and need for regular replenishment to replace boiloff make it harder to maintain and launch quickly. Many modern rockets use LOX, including the main engines on the Space Shuttle.

LOX also had extensive use in making oxyliquit explosives, but is rarely used now due to a high rate of accidents.

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