Quick answer
R-513A is a blend of R-1234yf and R-134a. Calculated under Annex VI from the manufacturer's nominal composition — 56 % R-1234yf and 44 % R-134a — its GWP is roughly 629.5.
That places it exactly between the two lines that matter: below 750 and above 150. Below 750 means it escapes the 1 January 2032 servicing ban that catches R-134a, and clears the 750 limit for chillers above 12 kW. Above 150 means the Annex IV equipment rows written at 150 catch it just as they catch R-134a.
Hence the answer to the question in the title: R-513A does not solve the new-equipment problem. It solves the long-term servicing problem and the chiller problem.
| Situation | Value |
|---|---|
| GWP | ≈ 629.5 — calculated under Annex VI |
| Servicing today | Allowed — not caught by the servicing bans that apply today |
| From 1 January 2032 | Allowed — stays below the 750 limit in Article 13(5) |
| Leak-check threshold | 5 t CO2e ≈ 7.94 kg (Annex I) |
It carries no thermodynamic properties, no capacity or efficiency figures, no oil compatibility, no glide values, no retrofit procedure and no transport thresholds. None of those are in the F-gas Regulation. Take them from the safety data sheet, from the equipment manufacturer's documentation and from the refrigerant manufacturer's instructions.
The GWP, and where it comes from
R-513A is a blend, so it is not listed with a value of its own in Annex I. Its GWP is calculated under Annex VI as the weighted average of the mass fractions, using the binding values from Annexes I and II.
| Component | Share by weight | GWP | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| HFC-1234yf | 56.0 % | 0.501 | 0.281 |
| HFC-134a | 44.0 % | 1 430 | 629.2 |
| Total | ≈ 629.5 | ||
Practically the whole result comes from the 44 % of R-134a. The HFO component, which is the larger part by mass, contributes less than three tenths of one unit.
That also shows the arithmetic limit of this kind of blend: with 44 % R-134a you cannot go below 750 without cutting that share, which changes how the refrigerant behaves. Below 150 is not reachable on this recipe at all.
Annex VI allows a weight tolerance of ± 1 %, and substances not listed in the annexes count as 0. The figure on the label or in the product documentation may be rounded; where it carries commercial weight, use that one.
The product bulletin for Opteon XP10 gives a GWP of 573, calculated on AR5 values. The regulation does not use those values: the binding column in Annex I gives 1 430 for HFC-134a, and Section 1 of Annex II gives 0.501 for HFC-1234yf. For every threshold in the regulation the figure to use is ≈ 629.5.
The second is headed “20 years-GWP — for information purposes only”. It is not the value the thresholds are measured against. Using it inflates the result several times over.
Servicing: what you may charge, and until when
Article 13 has three GWP lines for maintenance and servicing, and R-513A clears all three.
- Article 13(3) prohibits fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 2 500 or more for maintaining or servicing refrigeration equipment with a charge size of 40 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more; from 1 January 2025 the prohibition covers any refrigeration equipment.
- Article 13(4) brings the same 2 500 limit to air conditioning and heat pumps from 1 January 2026.
- Article 13(5) prohibits, from 1 January 2032, Annex I gases with a GWP of 750 or more for maintaining or servicing stationary refrigeration equipment, chillers excluded.
This is where the real commercial difference against R-134a sits. At 1 430, R-134a is caught by the 2032 line. At ≈ 629.5, R-513A is not. For a stationary commercial refrigeration system you want to keep serviceable after 2032 without relying on reclaimed or recycled gas, that is the distinction that counts.
It means virgin gas stays available for servicing. It does not mean the other duties disappear: purchase remains restricted to certified persons under Article 11(6), the seller records the certificate number and the quantity under Article 7(3), and recovery is carried out by certified persons under Article 8.
For the gases that are caught by Article 13(5), points (a) and (b) of that paragraph keep reclaimed and recycled gas open on strict conditions and with no expiry date. Article 13(6) lets the Commission authorise time-limited exemptions where it finds a verified shortage.
Equipment: what may no longer be placed on the market
On equipment, R-513A's position changes: here it is not the 750 line that decides but the 150 line, and it is above 150. The Annex IV rows that catch it:
| Annex IV point | Equipment | Limit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3(c) | Commercial self-contained refrigerators and freezers, other F-gases | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2025 |
| 4 | Any self-contained refrigeration equipment except chillers | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2025 |
| 6 | Multipack centralised commercial systems of 40 kW or more | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2022 |
| 7(b) | Chillers up to and including 12 kW | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2027 |
| 5(c) | Other refrigeration equipment (not chillers, not points 4 and 6) | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2030 |
| 9(f) | Split systems above 12 kW | GWP 150 or more | 1.1.2033 |
The rows it clears are precisely the ones written with a limit of 750:
- Point 7(d): chillers above 12 kW, GWP limit of 750, from 1 January 2027. At ≈ 629.5, R-513A stays under the limit. R-134a, at 1 430, does not.
- Point 9(a): single split systems containing less than 3 kg of Annex I gases, limit 750, from 1 January 2025. Not caught either.
- Point 9(e): split systems above 12 kW, limit 750, from 1 January 2029. Not caught.
Point 6 has prohibited since 2022 Annex I gases with a GWP of 150 or more in multipack centralised commercial systems of 40 kW or more, but it allows fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of less than 1 500 in the primary refrigerant circuit of cascade systems. At ≈ 629.5, R-513A falls inside that exception.
Leak checks and the detection system
Article 5(1) sets from what quantity equipment is checked, and Article 5(6) how often. The duty falls on operators and on manufacturers of the equipment.
For Annex I gases the threshold is 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. At ≈ 629.5 that is 5 000 ÷ 629.5 ≈ 7.94 kg.
| Charge | Check at least | With a detection system |
|---|---|---|
| 5 – 50 t CO2e | 12 months | 24 months |
| 50 – 500 t CO2e | 6 months | 12 months |
| ≥ 500 t CO2e | 3 months | 6 months |
Worked example. 10 kg of R-513A is 10 × 629.5 ÷ 1 000 ≈ 6.3 t CO2e — the bottom band, so checks at least every 12 months, or every 24 months with a detection system. The middle band starts around 79 kg, and the 500 t CO2e threshold in Article 6(1), which makes a detection system mandatory, around 794 kg.
Article 5(1) carries two thresholds: 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent for gases listed in Annex I and 1 kilogram for gases listed in Section 1 of Annex II. R-513A contains 56 % HFC-1234yf, which is a Section 1 Annex II gas. The text does not say in terms how the two thresholds combine for a blend with components from both annexes. Confirm the reading with your national competent authority and, until then, treat the system on the stricter reading.
For the intervals and for how the CO2 equivalent is worked out, see the guide to leak-check frequency.
Is R-513A the R-134a alternative, and when can it be considered
In regulatory terms the question comes down to three thresholds. The table puts them side by side.
| Threshold | R-134a (1 430) | R-513A (≈ 629.5) |
|---|---|---|
| Article 13(5), servicing stationary refrigeration, from 1.1.2032, limit 750 | Caught | Not caught |
| Annex IV point 7(d), chillers above 12 kW, from 1.1.2027, limit 750 | Caught | Not caught |
| Annex IV point 9(a), single split below 3 kg, from 1.1.2025, limit 750 | Caught | Not caught |
| Annex IV points 3(c), 4, 5(c), 6, limit 150 | Caught | Caught |
| Article 13(3), servicing, limit 2 500 | Not caught | Not caught |
The result reads simply. R-513A can be considered where the concrete problem is one of the 750 lines: a stationary commercial refrigeration system you want to keep serviceable with virgin gas after 1 January 2032, or a chiller above 12 kW that has to be placed on the market after 1 January 2027.
R-513A does not solve the problem where the applicable limit is 150. A self-contained refrigeration unit stays prohibited under point 4 whether you charge it with R-134a or with R-513A. Only a refrigerant below 150 helps there.
The manufacturer's documentation classifies it A1, that is, no flame propagation and lower toxicity in the industry classification scheme. The class does not come from the regulation but from that documentation and from the safety data sheet. It matters in practice, though: in Annex IV points 7, 8 and 9 the GWP limit rises to 750 exactly where site safety requirements will not allow a flammable refrigerant — and R-513A is precisely a non-flammable refrigerant sitting below 750.
For the full status of the gas it replaces, see the R-134a page. If your question is really about R-404A, see the dedicated guide.
Label and record
The label. Article 12(1)(g) puts all fluorinated greenhouse gas containers under the labelling requirement, and Article 12(3) requires 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) requires the label to be clearly legible and indelible and written in the official languages of the Member State of commercial destination.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2174 adds, in Article 1(3), the mandatory text “contains fluorinated greenhouse gases”, and in Article 1(4) points at the “GWP” column of Annexes I, II and III for the CO2 equivalent.
The record. Where the equipment has to be checked under Article 5(1), Article 7(1) requires a record for each piece of equipment: the quantity and type of gas, quantities added with dates, the quantity recovered, the origin of any gas added and whether it was recycled or reclaimed, the identity of the undertaking and of the person who did the work, and the dates and results of checks and repairs. Five years, by the operator and in copy by the servicing undertaking.
On retrofit. The last subparagraph of Article 12(3) requires products and equipment whose fluorinated greenhouse gases have been changed to be relabelled with updated information. If you replace R-134a with R-513A in an existing system, the old label becomes false the moment you charge.
What the regulation does NOT tell you
Physical properties, safety class, temperature glide and azeotropic behaviour are not in the regulation. Take them from the product's safety data sheet — section 2 for classification, section 9 for physical and chemical properties, section 14 for transport — in the format required by Regulation (EU) 2020/878, and from the manufacturer's documentation.
Hazard classification and labelling come from Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, a separate regime from the F-gas label.
The regulation does not say whether R-513A suits a system designed for R-134a. Capacity, pressures, oil and seal compatibility, superheat setting and the equipment manufacturer's approval are engineering and warranty questions, answered by the equipment documentation and the refrigerant manufacturer's instructions.
For the difference between a straight changeover and a full retrofit, see the drop-in or retrofit guide.
Checklist
- The GWP used is the binding column≈ 629.5 under Annex VI, not the AR5 figure in the product bulletin.
- The concrete question is identified: 750 or 150R-513A helps at the 750 lines, not at the 150 ones.
- Charge recorded in kg and in tonnes of CO2 equivalent≈ 7.94 kg is the 5 t CO2e threshold.
- Check interval assignedArticle 5(6), with or without a detection system.
- Equipment purchases checked against Annex IVPoints 3(c), 4, 5(c), 6, 7(b) and 9(f) catch it.
- Equipment manufacturer's approval obtained before the changeThe regulation does not answer compatibility; the equipment documentation does.
- Equipment relabelled after the gas is changedArticle 12(3), last subparagraph.
- Label complete on the cylinderDesignation, weight, CO2 equivalent, GWP and the text required by Regulation (EU) 2024/2174.
- Equipment record currentArticle 7(1), kept five years.
Frequently asked questions
What is the GWP of R-513A?
Roughly 629.5, calculated under Annex VI from the nominal composition 56 % R-1234yf and 44 % R-134a, with the binding values 0.501 (Section 1 of Annex II) and 1 430 (Annex I). Annex VI allows a ± 1 % weight tolerance.
Why does the manufacturer say 573 and not 629.5?
Because it uses AR5 values. The regulation does not: the thresholds in Article 13 and Annex IV are measured against the binding “GWP” column of Annexes I and II, which gives 1 430 for HFC-134a. For any compliance decision the figure is ≈ 629.5.
Can I still service with R-513A after 1 January 2032?
Yes. Article 13(5) prohibits, from that date, Annex I gases with a GWP of 750 or more for servicing stationary refrigeration other than chillers. At ≈ 629.5, R-513A is below the limit. R-134a, at 1 430, is above it.
Does R-513A replace R-134a in new equipment?
It depends which Annex IV row applies. Where the limit is 750, as for chillers above 12 kW in point 7(d), yes. Where the limit is 150, as in points 4 and 5(c), no: both gases are above it.
At what charge do leak checks start?
At 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent of Annex I gases, roughly 7.94 kg. Article 5(1) also carries a 1 kilogram threshold for Section 1 Annex II gases, and R-513A contains 56 % of such a gas; confirm the reading with your competent authority.
Does the label have to change after a retrofit?
Yes. Article 12(3) requires products and equipment whose fluorinated greenhouse gases have been changed to be relabelled with updated information: the designation of the new refrigerant, the quantity in weight and in CO2 equivalent, and the GWP.
Official sources
Annexes I, II, IV and VI and Articles 5, 6, 7, 11, 12 and 13 were read directly in the Official Journal text through the EU Publications Office. The nominal composition and the safety class come from the manufacturer's documentation, cited separately.
Currency of this page and limits of responsibility
This is a regulatory status page, not a technical data sheet. It carries no thermodynamic properties, no capacity data, no oil compatibilities and no retrofit procedure, and it does not confirm that R-513A may be used in any particular system. For those, use the safety data sheet, the equipment manufacturer's documentation and the refrigerant manufacturer's instructions.
General information prepared by EgoLog from the regulation and official Commission material. It is not legal advice and it is not an engineering assessment.
Work on the refrigerant circuit is carried out by competent persons certified under Article 10 of the regulation and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215. Annex IV can be amended. Confirm the current text before you rely on a date commercially.