Low-GWP Refrigerants: Which Grades Are in Our Catalogue, and How to Choose One
· RIBOLUO CHEMICALS (ZHEJIANG) CO., LTD.
A low-GWP refrigerant is a grade chosen to lower the CO2-equivalent of a charge: lower-GWP HFCs such as R-32, HFC blends, and the natural refrigerants. RIBOLUO CHEMICALS (ZHEJIANG) CO., LTD. supplies them as a distributor. We buy from qualified producers; we are not a manufacturer.
Which grades are in our catalogue?
Every grade we can source and document for this family is below, one row per grade. A dash means our verified property table does not set that figure for the grade: we quote it per grade with the report it comes from, rather than publish a number we cannot cite. A blend has no single CAS number.
| Product (chemical name) | Designation | CAS | GWP (AR4) | ASHRAE class | Typical use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Difluoromethane | R-32 | 75-10-5 | 675 | A2L | Residential air conditioning and heat pumps | A2L. Same duty as R-410A on roughly 30% less charge; higher discharge temperature |
| 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane | R-134a | 811-97-2 | 1,430 | A1 | Vehicle air conditioning; chillers | Installed base in vehicle air conditioning; newer lower-GWP options are not in our list |
| 1,1-Difluoroethane | R-152a | 75-37-6 | — | — | — | Lower-GWP HFC |
| Pentafluoroethane | R-125 | 354-33-6 | — | — | — | Single substance |
| 1,1,2-Trifluoroethane | R-143 | 430-66-0 | — | — | — | Name the isomer: R-143a (CAS 420-46-2) is a different substance |
| 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-Heptafluoropropane | R-227ea | 431-89-0 | — | — | — | Single substance |
| 2-Chloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane | R-124 | 2837-89-0 | — | — | — | HCFC; ozone-depleting-substance regime |
| 1-Chloro-1,1-difluoroethane | R-142b | 75-68-3 | — | — | — | HCFC |
| Chlorodifluoromethane | R-22 | 75-45-6 | 1,810 | A1 | Existing residential air conditioning and refrigeration | HCFC. New equipment banned in the EU; further output banned in the US from 2020 |
| Trifluoromethane | R-23 | 75-46-7 | — | — | — | Also an electronic specialty gas |
| Fluoromethane | R-41 | 593-53-3 | — | — | — | Not tetrafluoromethane (R-14). Confirm which is meant |
| Hexafluoroethane | R-116 | 76-16-4 | — | — | — | Also an electronic specialty gas |
| Octafluorocyclobutane | R-C318 | 115-25-3 | — | — | — | Also an electronic specialty gas |
| HFC blend | R-410A | — | 2,088 | A1 | Current residential and commercial air conditioning | Displaced in new US equipment by an A2L blend not in our list |
| HFC blend | R-407C | — | 1,774 | A1 | R-22 retrofit without changing the equipment | The retrofit grade in our list |
| HFC blends | R-407A, R-407B, R-407D, R-407E, R-407F | — | — | — | — | Same family as R-407C, by component ratio |
| HFC blend | R-507A | — | — | — | — | Figures per grade |
| Blend | R-406A | — | — | — | — | Figures per grade |
| Propane | R-290 | 74-98-6 | 3 | A3 | Small self-contained equipment | A3; charge limited by the equipment standard |
| Isobutane | R-600a | 75-28-5 | — | — | — | Hydrocarbon; charge limited by the equipment standard |
What we do not supply. R-1234yf, R-454B, R-448A and R-449A are named in phase-down discussions, but none is in our catalogue and we hold no stock of them. R-454B (GWP (AR4) 466) is listed so you know the answer before you ask: if your project is specified on one of them, we will say so rather than substitute.
How do you choose a low-GWP grade?
Start from the equipment and the destination, not from the lowest number in a chart.
| Question | What it decides |
|---|---|
| What the system is rated for | Design pressure, expansion device and lubricant are fixed by the equipment. A grade it was not designed for is a different project, not a substitution |
| The charge, and the CO2-equivalent | Regulation counts charge (kg) multiplied by GWP (AR4), so GWP decides how much quota the same tonne consumes |
| The safety class the site can take | R-32 is A2L: charge per room volume, ventilation and ignition-source control become design inputs. R-290 is A3, on a tighter charge limit |
| What the destination permits at installation | China, the United States and the EU run different instruments and timetables |
Two points get missed. Ask for the figure with its basis: GWP is quoted on AR4, AR5 and AR6 in different documents and the values differ, so a quotation that does not name the report cannot be compared with one that does. Our figures are AR4. And a lower GWP is not automatically the right purchase — R-32 sits far below R-410A, but it is A2L, so equipment, installation and room-size calculation all change.
What does retrofitting existing equipment involve?
The retrofit case in this family is R-22 equipment, and the grade in our list for it is R-407C.
- The lubricant changes. R-22 systems run on mineral oil; R-407C requires POE. The conversion involves the oil, not just the charge, and residual mineral oil is what destroys compressors.
- It is a blend, so it is charged as a liquid. A blend that leaks as vapour does not leave its proportions behind, so the remaining charge no longer matches the equipment.
- The retrofit is not universal. Whether a unit can be converted depends on that unit. Get the equipment supplier’s position in writing before buying the gas: we supply the grade, but we cannot certify equipment that is not ours.
- Compliance follows the retrofit. R-22 is an HCFC under the ozone-depleting-substances regime; R-407C is an HFC inside the quota systems. Record the nameplate, charge weight, oil type and date — a verbal history is not evidence at an inspection.
How do quotas and regulation timetables affect your purchase?
| Market | Instrument | What it constrains |
|---|---|---|
| China | Annual total HFC quota and allocation plan issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment; HCFCs under the ozone-depleting-substances regime | Availability follows the allocation year, not the order date |
| United States | AIM Act — allowance allocation and reporting for bulk HFCs | An importer needs an allowance to bring bulk HFCs in |
| European Union | Regulation (EU) 2024/573 — quota before release for free circulation, F-gas Portal registration, annual reporting, an audit above 1000 t CO2eq per year, and a quota charge of EUR 3 per tonne CO2eq from 2026 | Quota is counted in CO2-equivalent, so a lower-GWP grade consumes less of the same allowance |
- Quota is consumed in CO2-equivalent, not in tonnes. As the step-down tightens, the gap between a high-GWP grade and a low-GWP grade widens in availability and price.
- Timing matters. Allocation is annual: the same order placed late in an allocation year faces tighter availability.
- Ask what the supplier can evidence. For an EU destination the registration, reporting and labelling obligations all sit on the record.
One limit we state explicitly. Under the EU F-gas rules the quota obligation sits with the importer or the producer inside the EU, before the goods are released for free circulation. A company outside the EU cannot hold that quota or transfer it to you. We do not offer to obtain, hold or transfer quotas, and nothing here should be read as an undertaking that we will resolve an F-gas quota requirement for you. We can supply the grades, the specification and the batch documents, and say plainly which obligations stay on your side. Rules differ by market and change: verify the position in force for your destination and installation date. This is not legal advice.
What documents and packaging come with these grades?
- Specification sheet and COA. The sheet states the limits the product is held to; the certificate is issued for the batch shipped, and its batch number must match the container labels.
- SDS and GHS label. In the language required at the destination. The classification on the label, in the SDS and on the transport papers must agree.
- Transport documents. Raised for the route used; the dangerous-goods classification we declare is the one in the product’s SDS.
- Packaging. Cylinders for small lots, drums or ISO tank containers for volume. A2L and A3 grades carry handling requirements in transit, in store and at charging that A1 grades do not, and we will not help anyone work around them. If you decant or repack at your end, labelling and documentation duties move to whoever places the product on the market again.
FAQ
Is R-32 a low-GWP refrigerant? Against the grades it replaces, yes: GWP (AR4) 675 against R-410A at 2,088. It is still an HFC inside the quota systems, and it is A2L.
Can I convert an R-22 system to R-407C? The gas is the easy part. The conversion changes mineral oil to POE, treats the charge as a blend, and depends on the specific unit. We supply the grade; we do not certify the equipment.
Do you supply R-1234yf, R-454B, R-448A or R-449A? No — they are not in our catalogue. We name them so a buyer planning around them knows that before enquiring.
Does buying from you keep me compliant with F-gas quotas? Compliance follows your role and your market, not the invoice. Our documents support your file; they do not transfer an obligation. Confirm your position with your own advisers.
What we can provide
Riboluo Chemicals can supply the grades above from qualified producers, with the grade and CAS on the order line, the batch COA for the lot shipped, the SDS and GHS label set for the destination, and the transport documents raised for the route. Where a figure is outside our verified table, we ask the producing entity for it and send it with the source named rather than fill the gap with an estimate.
Send the grade or the CAS number, the quantity, the package format, the destination market and what the equipment is rated for. We reply with the options, the documents and a quotation.
Shipments that leave China are outside our own scope: our sister company HARMONY TECHNOLOGY (ZHEJIANG) CO., LTD. handles international trading and export markets (hm-chem.com).
For general information — not legal or regulatory advice. Quota allocation, phase-down timetables and dangerous-goods requirements differ by market and change; confirm the obligations that apply to your destination and installation date before ordering.
Related guides
- Reading a CAS-level specification sheet: what every column means
- The shipment document set: COA, SDS, GHS labels and UN numbers
- Packing formats by volume: cylinders, drums, IBCs and ISO tanks
- Buying through a distributor vs a producer: what changes
- Mixed loads: what can and cannot travel in one container
- Electronic specialty gases: the CAS-listed fluorinated gases
- Perfluoropolyether fluids: the fluorinated-fluid classes
Sources
- Our verified property table (2026-09-03) — the GWP (AR4), ASHRAE class and application figures above; compiled from the two sources that follow.
- HVACSolver — Refrigerant Types, Properties, and GWP Chart (master comparison chart; AR4 basis): https://www.hvacsolver.com/refrigerant-types/
- Yonghe Chemical — Guide to R-32, R-290, R-410A and R-22 (R-32 charge and handling characteristics): https://www.yonghe-chemical.com/guide-to-r32-r290-r410a-and-r22-refrigerants/
- ASHRAE — Standards 15 and 34 (designation; safety classification including A2L and A3): https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/bookstore/standards-15-34
- PubChem (NIH) — substance records used to check the CAS number of every single-substance grade above, for example difluoromethane (CID 6345), chlorodifluoromethane (CID 6372) and propane (CID 6334): https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
- EU Climate Action — F-gases in bulk (quota held by the importer or producer before release for free circulation): https://climate.ec.europa.eu/areas-action/fluorinated-greenhouse-gases/stakeholder-obligations/f-gases-bulk_en
- Regulation (EU) 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases (EUR-Lex): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32024R0573
- US EPA — HFC allowance allocation and reporting (allowance system for bulk HFCs under the AIM Act): https://www.epa.gov/hfcs/hfc-allowance-allocation-and-reporting
- Ministry of Ecology and Environment (China) — Notice on the total HFC quota and allocation plan for 2024: https://www.mee.gov.cn/xxgk2018/xxgk/xxgk05/202311/t20231107_1055295.html
- UNEP Ozone Secretariat — Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment: https://ozone.unep.org/treaties/montreal-protocol/amendments
Prepared by RIBOLUO CHEMICALS (ZHEJIANG) CO., LTD., a member of Hangrui Group — a chemical distribution platform (sourcing, consolidation and documentation). We are not a manufacturer: we buy from qualified producers and supply to order. Property figures quoted here are AR4-basis values from our verified table; equipment-specific design values must come from the supplier of the equipment.
Need current specs, quota status, or a mixed-load quote for Which Grades Are in Our Catalogue, and How to Choose One? Contact tom@riboluo.com with your spec and delivery location.