Quick answer
The F-gas Regulation does not tell you what temperature to keep cylinders at, how much space to leave between them, or how the store should be ventilated. It does tell you four things, all of which apply to stock:
- You take all necessary precautions against unintentional release — Article 4(3).
- The label has to stay clearly legible and indelible — Article 12(4).
- You may supply only those entitled to receive — Article 11(6) and (7).
- Before disposing of a container, you arrange recovery of the residual gas — Article 8(7).
The conditions for safe storage — incompatibilities, temperature, ventilation, separation from other substances — sit in section 7.2 of the safety data sheet, in the format required by Regulation (EU) 2020/878. Requirements for the building itself and for fire safety come from national law.
The stock is your responsibility
Article 4(3) lists who has to take all necessary precautions to prevent the unintentional release of fluorinated greenhouse gases: operators and manufacturers of equipment, operators of facilities where such gases are used, and undertakings in possession of such equipment during its transport or storage.
The text then requires them to take all measures that are technically and economically feasible to minimise leakage.
Article 4(4) separately covers storage among the operations for which the undertaking concerned takes all necessary precautions to limit release of the gases to the greatest extent possible. This is not decorative drafting: a valve left open, a toppled cylinder, or a hose left connected overnight all land squarely in that text.
And if you find a leak in the store, Article 4(5) requires you to ensure repair without undue delay. The duty is named expressly for the holder during storage as well.
The label has to survive the shelf
Article 12(1)(g) puts all fluorinated greenhouse gas containers under the labelling requirement, and Article 12(4) requires the label to be clearly legible and indelible.
In a store that is a live requirement, not something discharged once at goods-in. Damp, rubbing during handling, sun on a loading bay and cleaning solvents all ruin labels. A cylinder whose label has become unreadable can no longer be made available onwards in conformity with Article 12.
The mandatory content, from Article 12(3): an indication that fluorinated greenhouse gases are contained, the accepted industry designation, the quantity in weight and in CO2 equivalent, and the GWP. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2174 requires the wording “contains fluorinated greenhouse gases”.
Two special markings worth looking for at goods-in:
- “100 % Reclaimed”, plus the batch number and the name and Union address of the reclamation facility — Article 12(7). Without that label you cannot rely on the reclaimed-gas exceptions in Article 13.
- The label's language. The second subparagraph of Article 12(4) requires the official languages of the Member State in which the good is to be placed on the market, made available or supplied.
Who you may supply from stock
The store is also the point at which the supply restrictions bite.
Bulk gas. Article 11(6) allows purchase only by certified natural persons or by undertakings employing such persons, for installing, maintaining, servicing or repairing the covered equipment. The text goes on: sellers shall sell or offer for sale, directly or indirectly, such gases exclusively to the undertakings referred to in that paragraph.
Non-hermetically sealed equipment. Article 11(7) adds a separate condition: non-hermetically sealed equipment charged with Annex I or Section 1 Annex II gases may only be sold to an end user where evidence is provided that the installation is to be carried out by an undertaking certified in accordance with Article 10.
The record. Article 7(3) obliges undertakings supplying these gases to record each purchaser's certificate number and the quantities purchased, to keep the records for at least 5 years and to make them available on request to the competent authority or to the Commission.
The certificate number is recorded at the sale, so it has to be asked for at the sale. A store that supplies without checking creates a non-conformity of its own, independent of what the buyer then does with the gas.
The “empty” cylinders in the corner
A cylinder that no longer shows pressure on the gauge is not empty. It holds residual gas, and the regulation deals with it expressly.
Article 8(7): an undertaking that uses a container with Annex I or Section 1 Annex II gases shall, immediately prior to its disposal, arrange for the recovery of any residual gases to make sure they are recycled, reclaimed or destroyed.
Until that point the cylinder stays under Article 4(3): precautions against unintentional release. So you do not leave it with the valve open “to air off”, which would also be an intentional release within the meaning of Article 4(1).
Two related matters, each with its own page: non-refillable cylinders are prohibited, and recovered gas may not be used for filling or refilling unless it has been recycled or reclaimed, under Article 8(6).
At goods-in
Check the label before unloading
Designation, quantity in weight and in CO2 equivalent, GWP, and the fluorinated greenhouse gas indication. Their absence is the supplier's problem, but it becomes yours the moment you take the goods in.
Check that the cylinder is refillable
Non-refillable containers for fluorinated greenhouse gases are prohibited. A cylinder without a proper filling valve is a signal.
Match the paperwork to the goods
Quantity, gas type and batch have to correspond. Discrepancies are settled before acceptance, not after.
Look for the special markings
“100 % Reclaimed” with the batch number and the reclamation facility, where the gas is reclaimed — Article 12(7).
Record the receipt
Even though the regulation expressly requires records of sales, a goods-in record is what lets you reconstruct a cylinder's path in an inspection.
Store as the safety data sheet says
Section 7.2 for storage conditions, section 10 for incompatibilities.
Checklist for the store
- All cylinder valves closed and caps fittedA precaution required by Article 4(3) and (4).
- No cylinder has a hose connected while not in useA hose left on a cylinder is a foreseeable leak path.
- Labels legible across the whole stockArticle 12(4), checked periodically, not only at goods-in.
- Label languages match the markets you supplyArticle 12(4), second subparagraph.
- Full, part-used and empty cylinders visibly separatedPrevents wrong refilling or wrong despatch.
- Apparently empty cylinders have a defined route to recoveryArticle 8(7), before any disposal.
- The purchaser record is currentArticle 7(3): certificate number and quantities, at least 5 years.
- Safety data sheets available in the storeSection 7.2 for storage, sections 4 and 6 for incidents.
- A written procedure exists for leaks found in stockArticle 4(5): repair without undue delay.
Frequently asked questions
Does the regulation impose a particular kind of storage room?
No. Regulation (EU) 2024/573 imposes the outcome — preventing release, minimising leakage — not the construction of the space. Requirements on ventilation, separation, fire safety and the storage of gases under pressure come from national law and from section 7.2 of the safety data sheet.
Do I need certification just to store fluorinated gases?
Storage as such is not among the activities requiring certification under Article 10. Certification is required for installation, maintenance, servicing, repair, leak checking and recovery. For purchasing the gas, however, Article 11(6) requires you or your undertaking to be in the permitted category.
Can I sell a cylinder to a customer without a certificate?
Not where it is bulk gas from Annex I or Section 1 of Annex II. Article 11(6) says sellers shall sell exclusively to the undertakings referred to there, and Article 7(3) obliges you to record the purchaser's certificate number.
How long may I keep a cylinder in stock?
The regulation sets no storage period. What it sets are continuing duties: the Article 4(3) precautions, the legible label under Article 12(4), and, at the end of the container's life, recovery of the residual gas under Article 8(7). Periodic inspection intervals for pressure receptacles come from a different regime.
What do I do with a cylinder whose label is destroyed?
You do not make it available onwards in that state. Identify the contents from the purchase documents and the batch, then reinstate the label with the correct information required by Article 12(3). If you cannot establish the contents with certainty, treat it as a compliance problem and clear it with the supplier before any supply.
Do empty cylinders have to be kept separately?
The regulation does not expressly require physical separation, but Article 8(7) does require recovery of residual gas before the container is disposed of. In practice, without a clear separation between full, part-used and empty, that duty is hard to demonstrate in an inspection.
Official sources
Articles 4, 7, 8, 11 and 12 were read directly in the Official Journal text. Technical storage requirements are pointed at through the correct source rather than reproduced.
Currency of this page and limits of responsibility
This page covers the F-gas duties that apply to stock. It does not set requirements for construction, ventilation, fire safety or siting. Those come from national law and from the product safety data sheet.
General information prepared by EgoLog from the regulation and official Commission material. It is not legal advice.
Pressure receptacle verification and periodic testing of cylinders fall under other acts. Confirm those requirements with your supplier and your national competent authority.