Quick answer
R-454B is a zeotropic blend of HFC-32 and HFO-1234yf, developed as the R-410A replacement in new equipment. It is a mixture containing a substance listed in Section 1 of Annex I, so by the definition in Article 3, point (4), it is a hydrofluorocarbon: it sits inside the full regime of Regulation (EU) 2024/573.
| Status | Value |
|---|---|
| GWP | ≈ 465 — calculated under Annex VI |
| Listing | A mixture containing HFC-32 from Annex I and HFO-1234yf from Section 1 of Annex II |
| Quota | Yes — Article 16(1), being a hydrofluorocarbon under Article 3, point (4) |
| Servicing today | Allowed — below 2 500 in Article 13(3) and 13(4) |
| From 1 January 2032 | Allowed — below the 750 line in Article 13(5) |
| Leak check threshold | 5 t CO2e ≈ 10.75 kg (Annex I) |
Its position follows from a single number: 465. That is below 750 and above 150. The first half gives it a long life in servicing and lifts it clear of the 750 lines in Annex IV. The second half ends its life in new equipment from 2027 onwards.
It contains no working pressures, charge limits, minimum room volumes, ventilation or detection requirements for mildly flammable refrigerants, charging procedures or oil compatibilities. The F-gas Regulation holds none of those; they come from the refrigerating-system safety standards, from the equipment manufacturer's documentation and from the product safety data sheet.
The GWP, and where it comes from
R-454B does not appear as such in Annex I. Like any mixture, its GWP is calculated, and Annex VI sets the method: a weighted average derived from the sum of the weight fractions of the individual substances multiplied by their GWP, with a weight tolerance of plus or minus 1 %.
The nominal composition, from the manufacturer's technical documentation, is 68.9 % HFC-32 and 31.1 % HFO-1234yf by mass. The GWP values come from the binding column of the annexes: 675 for HFC-32, from Section 1 of Annex I, and 0.501 for HFO-1234yf, from Section 1 of Annex II.
| Component | Share by weight | GWP | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| HFC-32 | 68.9 % | 675 | 465.1 |
| HFO-1234yf | 31.1 % | 0.501 | 0.2 |
| Total | ≈ 465 | ||
In practice the entire GWP of the blend comes from the HFC-32 component. The HFO share contributes a tenth of a unit — below the level at which it would change any decision.
The manufacturer's technical documentation quotes a GWP of about 466 or 467, depending on which IPCC assessment report is used. The value that counts in the Union is the one calculated from the "GWP" column of the annexes, as Article 1(4) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2174 requires. The difference is of the order of one unit and changes no threshold. Add the plus or minus 1 % weight tolerance in Annex VI: a rounded value on the label is normal, not a non-conformity.
One point deserves emphasis, because it is often confused: the fact that the blend contains an HFO component does not take it out of the HFC regime. Article 3, point (4), defines hydrofluorocarbons as the substances listed in Section 1 of Annex I or mixtures containing any of those substances. R-454B contains HFC-32, so it is an HFC with every consequence that follows, quota included.
Servicing: what you may charge, and until when
At 465, R-454B passes under every servicing line in Article 13.
- Article 13(3). Since 1 January 2025, using a fluorinated greenhouse gas with a GWP of 2 500 or more to maintain or service any refrigeration equipment is prohibited. R-454B is far below that limit.
- Article 13(4). From 1 January 2026, the same 2 500 line applies to maintaining and servicing air conditioning equipment and heat pumps. Again, it does not reach it.
- Article 13(5). From 1 January 2032, Annex I gases with a GWP of 750 or more may no longer be used to maintain or service stationary refrigeration equipment, chillers excluded. At 465, R-454B stays allowed after that date too.
On the servicing side, in other words, the current text carries no date that stops it. That is exactly the difference from R-410A: with a calculated GWP of about 2 088 it stays below the 2 500 line and may therefore still be used for servicing today, but it sits far above the 750 line, so from 1 January 2032 it can no longer be used to service stationary refrigeration other than chillers.
Article 13 governs use in maintenance and servicing. It says nothing about the right to place the equipment on the market. That is Article 11(1) with Annex IV, and there R-454B does carry dates. A refrigerant can be perfectly lawful for topping up existing equipment and, at the same time, prohibited in new equipment of the same category.
Equipment: what may no longer be placed on the market
At 465, R-454B clears every 750 limit in Annex IV and is caught by every 150 limit. The rows that matter for air conditioning, heat pumps and chillers:
| Annex IV point | Equipment | Limit | Date | R-454B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9(a) | Single split systems containing less than 3 kg of Annex I gases | GWP 750 or more | 1.1.2025 | Clears |
| 7(d) | Chillers above 12 kW | GWP limit of 750 | 1.1.2027 | Clears |
| 9(e) | Split systems above 12 kW | GWP 750 or more | 1.1.2029 | Clears |
| 7(b) | Chillers up to and including 12 kW | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2027 | Caught |
| 8(b) | Self-contained air conditioning and heat pumps, up to and including 12 kW | GWP 150 or more (750 where safety requires) | 1.1.2027 | Caught |
| 8(d) | Monobloc and self-contained air conditioning and heat pumps, above 12 kW to 50 kW | GWP 150 or more (750 where safety requires) | 1.1.2027 | Caught |
| 9(b) | Split air-to-water, up to and including 12 kW | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2027 | Caught |
| 9(c) | Split air-to-air, up to and including 12 kW | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2029 | Caught |
| 9(f) | Split systems above 12 kW | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2033 | Caught |
Layered over those rows are the ones written as "any fluorinated greenhouse gas", which do not look at GWP at all: point 7(c) for chillers up to 12 kW from 1 January 2032, point 8(c) for the same self-contained equipment from 1 January 2032, and point 9(d) for split systems up to 12 kW from 1 January 2035. No fluorinated blend clears those, whatever its GWP.
Read that way, the calendar for R-454B in new equipment is clear: free where the limit is 750, blocked from 2027 to 2033 where the limit drops to 150, and stopped for good by the "any fluorinated greenhouse gas" rows. For the complete picture of the dates, see the ban timetable.
Leak checks and the detection system
The Article 5(1) threshold is 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent of Annex I gases. Applied at a GWP of 465, it is reached at roughly 10.75 kg of refrigerant. The arithmetic is simple: kilograms × GWP ÷ 1 000.
| Charge | CO2 equivalent | Check at least every | With detection system |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ 10.75 kg | 5 t CO2e | 12 months | 24 months |
| ≈ 107.5 kg | 50 t CO2e | 6 months | 12 months |
| ≈ 1 075 kg | 500 t CO2e | 3 months | 6 months |
The bands come from Article 5(6). At 500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more, Article 6(1) adds a separate duty: the operator of the stationary equipment in Article 5(2), points (a) to (d), must ensure a leakage detection system that alerts the operator or a service company.
There are exemptions worth checking before you calculate anything. Second subparagraph of Article 5(1): hermetically sealed equipment is not checked for leaks if it is labelled as such and contains less than 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent of Annex I gases — at 465, about 21.5 kg. The third subparagraph lowers the limit to less than 3 kg of fluorinated greenhouse gases for hermetically sealed equipment installed in residential buildings, again conditional on the labelling.
Article 5(1) has two triggers, not one: 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent of Annex I gases or 1 kilogram of Annex II Section 1 gases. R-454B contains HFO-1234yf, which is listed in Section 1 of Annex II. Read literally, the second trigger is reached at about 3.2 kg of blend, well below the 10.75 kg of the first. This page does not settle the interpretation, but it recommends the cautious approach and confirmation with your national competent authority where the charge falls between the two figures.
For who carries out the check, at what frequency and what is recorded, see leak check frequency and the equipment record.
R-454B against R-410A: why it clears the 750 line
R-410A is a 50/50 blend of HFC-32 and HFC-125. Calculated under Annex VI, its GWP is about 2 088. R-454B replaces the HFC-125 half — GWP 3 500 — with HFO-1234yf, GWP 0.501. The result is a drop from about 2 088 to about 465, that is below the 750 line.
| Refrigerant | Composition | Calculated GWP | The 750 line |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-410A | 50 % HFC-32, 50 % HFC-125 | ≈ 2 088 | Above |
| R-454B | 68.9 % HFC-32, 31.1 % HFO-1234yf | ≈ 465 | Below |
The practical consequence shows in three Annex IV rows: point 9(a) — single splits with less than 3 kg, limit 750, from 1 January 2025 — point 9(e) and point 7(d). R-410A is caught by all three; R-454B clears all three. That is the regulatory reason it exists. For the technical comparison between the two, see the R-410A page and R-32 or R-410A.
The price of that drop is flammability. The manufacturer's technical documentation places R-454B in safety class A2L under ISO 817 and ANSI/ASHRAE 34: lower toxicity, mildly flammable. The same documentation describes the scheme as follows: the letter indicates toxicity and the figure flammability, class 1 being practically non-flammable, class 2L mildly flammable — with a burning velocity below 10 cm/s — class 2 flammable and class 3 extremely flammable. R-410A is class 1.
The F-gas Regulation assigns no safety classes; the expressions A1, A2L and A3 appear nowhere in its text. But it anticipates the problem, through the safety derogation.
Points 8(b), 8(c), 8(d) and 8(e) provide that where safety requirements at the site of operation would not allow fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of less than 150, the GWP limit is 750. The rows in point 9 carry the wording "except if required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation". At 465, R-454B is precisely the refrigerant that benefits from that raised limit.
The derogation does not apply automatically. It comes with two duties:
- The label has to say so. Article 12(15): in the cases referred to in points 8(b) to (e) and 9(b) to (f) of Annex IV, the product or equipment must be labelled with an indication that it is to be used only where required by the safety requirements or national safety standards, and those requirements or standards must be specified on the label.
- The operator must be able to prove it. Article 13(19) prohibits putting into operation the equipment listed in those same points after the prohibition date unless the operator can provide evidence that the relevant safety requirements at that particular location do not permit equipment using gases below the specified GWP, or that the equipment was placed on the market before that date. Article 13(20) requires the documentation to be kept for at least 5 years.
On the personnel side, working with a mildly flammable refrigerant does not create a new certificate: hydrocarbons have their own examination heading, but mildly flammable fluorinated refrigerants stay inside Certificates A1 and A2 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215. What changes are the working procedures and equipment requirements, set in the system standards. See what changes on site.
Quota, label, records — and what the regulation does not say
Quota. Article 3, point (4), defines hydrofluorocarbons as the substances listed in Section 1 of Annex I or mixtures containing any of those substances. R-454B contains HFC-32, so it is an HFC. Article 16(1) allows hydrofluorocarbons to be placed on the market only to the extent that quota has been allocated to producers and importers. The quantity is expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent, defined in Article 3, point (3), as the product of the weight in metric tonnes and the GWP — here, the calculated GWP of the blend.
Who may buy. Article 11(6): Annex I and Annex II Section 1 gases are sold only to certified natural persons or to undertakings employing them, and the seller is bound by the same rule. Article 11(7) adds that non-hermetically sealed charged equipment may be sold to an end user only where evidence is provided that the installation will be carried out by a certified undertaking. Article 11(8) requires a supplier of bulk gas to have an establishment in the Union or an only representative established there. Details in who can buy refrigerant gas.
The container. Article 11(3) prohibits non-refillable containers for Annex I and Annex II Section 1 gases. Article 11(4) requires whoever places refillable containers on the market to produce a declaration of conformity evidencing binding arrangements for their return for refilling, kept for 5 years.
The label. Article 12(1), point (g), puts all fluorinated greenhouse gas containers under the labelling requirement. Article 12(3) sets the content: an indication that fluorinated greenhouse gases are contained, the accepted industry designation, the quantity in weight and in CO2 equivalent, and the GWP. Article 12(4): clearly legible and indelible, placed adjacent to the service ports or on the part containing the gas, and written in the official languages of the Member State of commercial destination. Article 12(6) requires refilled containers to be relabelled.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2174 adds the format: Article 1(3) requires the text "contains fluorinated greenhouse gases"; Article 1(4) requires the weight in kilograms or grams and the CO2 equivalent in tonnes, using the values in the "GWP" column of the annexes; Article 1(6) provides that where a container is also labelled under Regulation (EC) 1272/2008, the F-gas information goes in the supplemental information section of the CLP label.
The records. Article 7(1) requires the equipment record for installations subject to leak checks under Article 5(1). Article 7(3) obliges undertakings supplying Annex I or Annex II Section 1 gases to record each purchaser's certificate number and the quantities sold, for at least 5 years.
It does not give you the physical properties, working pressures, temperature glide, safety class, lower flammability limit, charge limits, ventilation or detection requirements, oil compatibility, or the procedure for charging a zeotropic blend. None of that is in Regulation (EU) 2024/573. Those come from the product safety data sheet — sections 2 and 9 — from the equipment manufacturer's documentation, and from the refrigerating-system safety standards, which this page does not reproduce.
Checklist
- The GWP used in the calculation is the Annex VI oneAbout 465, calculated from 68.9 % HFC-32 at 675 and 31.1 % HFO-1234yf at 0.501, not the figure from commercial literature.
- The charge has been converted into tonnes of CO2 equivalentKilograms × 465 ÷ 1 000. The Article 5(1) threshold is reached at about 10.75 kg.
- The hermetically sealed exemption was checked firstSecond subparagraph of Article 5(1): less than 10 t CO2e, that is about 21.5 kg, with labelling as hermetically sealed.
- Above 500 t CO2e a leakage detection system is in placeArticle 6(1); at 465 that means about 1 075 kg.
- The Annex IV date has been checked for the specific categoryR-454B clears the 750 limits and is caught by the 150 limits, starting on 1 January 2027.
- If the safety derogation is relied on, the label says soArticle 12(15): the safety requirements or standards must be specified on the label.
- The evidence for the derogation is kept for 5 yearsArticle 13(19) for the content of the evidence, Article 13(20) for the retention period.
- The purchaser is certified and the sale is recordedArticle 11(6) for the purchase, Article 7(3) for the sales record kept 5 years.
- The container label is complete and in the destination languageArticle 12(3) and 12(4), plus the format in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2174.
- Technical properties come from the product sheet, not the regulationPressures, glide, flammability, oil and charging procedure: the safety data sheet and the manufacturer's documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the GWP of R-454B not in Annex I?
Because Annex I lists substances, not mixtures. The GWP of a mixture is calculated under Annex VI as a weighted average of the weight fractions multiplied by each substance's GWP. For R-454B: 0.689 × 675 plus 0.311 × 0.501, which is about 465.
Does R-454B consume quota even though it contains an HFO?
Yes. Article 3, point (4), defines hydrofluorocarbons as the substances listed in Section 1 of Annex I or mixtures containing any of those substances. R-454B contains HFC-32, so it falls entirely inside the quota regime of Article 16(1), counted in tonnes of CO2 equivalent using the blend's GWP.
Can I still use R-454B for servicing after 2032?
Yes, as far as Article 13 goes. The 750 line that takes effect on 1 January 2032 for stationary refrigeration other than chillers stays above its value of about 465. The Annex IV prohibitions on placing equipment on the market are a separate question.
From which date can I no longer place a new R-454B split on the market?
It depends on the category. Split air-to-water up to 12 kW: 1 January 2027, point 9(b). Split air-to-air up to 12 kW: 1 January 2029, point 9(c). Split above 12 kW: 1 January 2033, point 9(f). The "any fluorinated greenhouse gas" rows — point 9(d) from 2035 — catch it in any event.
What does A2L mean for my legal duties?
In the F-gas Regulation, nothing directly: the text assigns no safety classes. Indirectly it matters a great deal, because points 8 and 9 of Annex IV raise the limit from 150 to 750 where safety requirements at the site of operation would not allow a refrigerant below 150 — and in that case the Article 12(15) label and the Article 13(19) evidence, kept 5 years, both apply.
The label says 466 or 467 and this page says 465. Is that a problem?
No. The manufacturer's documentation quotes values based on different IPCC assessment reports. The value applicable in the Union is calculated under Annex VI from the "GWP" column of the annexes, and Annex VI also provides a plus or minus 1 % weight tolerance. The difference changes no threshold.
Is R-454B a direct replacement for R-410A?
The manufacturer's technical documentation presents it as a solution for new equipment designed for it, not as a retrofit of an existing R-410A installation. The difference in flammability and the design requirements are the reason. For the general distinction, see drop-in or retrofit.
Official sources
Articles 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 and 16, together with Annexes I, II, IV and VI, were read directly in the Official Journal text. The labelling implementing regulation was read in full. The nominal composition and the safety class come from the manufacturer's technical documentation.
Currency of this page and limits of responsibility
R-454B is classified A2L, that is mildly flammable. This page covers its status under Regulation (EU) 2024/573. It carries no charge limits, no ventilation or detection requirements, and it does not replace the equipment manufacturer's documentation, the refrigerating-system safety standards or national rules. The work is carried out by certified personnel with tools and procedures appropriate to mildly flammable refrigerants.
General information prepared by EgoLog from Regulation (EU) 2024/573, the implementing regulations cited, official Commission material and the manufacturer's technical documentation. It is not legal, safety or engineering advice.
The composition, the declared GWP and the properties must always be checked on the label and in the sheet for the product you actually use, in its current version. The Annex IV dates and the thresholds must be confirmed in the text in force before any purchasing or design decision.