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Every refrigerant you are likely to meet in a US home, in one table. The column that matters most for a repair decision is the last one.
| Refrigerant | Type | Safety | GWP | Common era | New equip. | $/lb installed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-22 HCFC-22, Freon | HCFC | A1 | 1,810 | 1960–2010 | No | $150–$300 |
| R-410A 410A, Puron | HFC blend (zeotropic, near-azeotropic) | A1 | 2,088 | 1996–2024 | No | $50–$80 |
| R-32 HFC-32, difluoromethane | HFC | A2L | 675 | 2018–now | Yes | $50–$90 |
| R-454B 454B, Opteon XL41 | HFC/HFO blend (zeotropic) | A2L | 466 | 2025–now | Yes | $60–$100 |
| R-407C 407C, Suva 407C | HFC blend (zeotropic) | A1 | 1,774 | 2000–now | No | — |
| R-438A 438A, MO99 | HFC blend (zeotropic) with hydrocarbon oil-return additives | A1 | 2,265 | 2010–now | No | — |
| R-422B 422B, NU-22B | HFC blend (zeotropic) with hydrocarbon additive | A1 | 2,526 | 2008–now | No | — |
| R-417A 417A, MO59 | HFC blend (zeotropic) with hydrocarbon additive | A1 | 2,346 | 2005–now | No | — |
GWP values computed from the component exchange values in Appendix A to 40 CFR Part 84. Installed pricing is a market-survey aggregate collected 2026-08-31; retrofit blends are quoted directly rather than benchmarked.
What the safety class means
ASHRAE Standard 34 assigns two characters: a letter for toxicity and a number for flammability.
- A1 — low toxicity, no flame propagation. R-22, R-410A, R-407C and the retrofit blends.
- A2L — low toxicity, mildly flammable. R-32 and R-454B. This is a specific technical category requiring particular conditions to ignite, not a general fire hazard, and equipment using it is designed and listed for it.
The practical consequence of A2L is on the technician’s side: rated recovery equipment, gauges, and leak detection. Not every shop is set up for it yet, so it is worth confirming when booking service on a system from 2025 or later.
What GWP means, and what it does not
Global warming potential compares a gas’s warming effect with CO₂ over 100 years. R-410A at about 2,088 means one pound released warms roughly 2,088 times as much as a pound of CO₂.
It says nothing about how well your system cools. A high-GWP refrigerant is not a worse refrigerant for your house — it is a worse one to release into the atmosphere, which is why the rules target it and why recovery is legally required rather than optional.
Single compounds versus blends
R-22 and R-32 are single compounds. R-410A, R-454B, R-407C and the retrofit blends are mixtures, and that has a real service consequence: a zeotropic blend does not leak evenly, so what remains after a leak is no longer the original mixture. Blends are charged as a liquid, and a proper repair often means recovering and weighing in a fresh full charge rather than topping off. That is correct practice, not a padded invoice.
A note on cylinder colours
Refrigerant cylinders were historically colour-coded — R-22 light green, R-410A pink, R-134a light blue. The industry has moved away from relying on this. As of the 2020s, manufacturers increasingly ship all refrigerants in a standard grey cylinder with the designation printed on the label, precisely because colour was being used as a substitute for reading. Identify refrigerant from the label, never from a cylinder colour.
Find out which one is in your system →
Related: Refrigerant by year · Can you mix refrigerants? · R-410A vs R-454B
Frequently asked questions
What are the main types of HVAC refrigerant?
In US homes: R-22 (pre-2010 systems), R-410A (roughly 2010–2024), and R-454B or R-32 in equipment made from 2025. R-407C, R-438A, R-422B and R-417A appear as retrofits in converted R-22 systems.
What does A2L mean on a refrigerant?
It is an ASHRAE Standard 34 safety class meaning low toxicity and mild flammability. R-32 and R-454B are A2L. Equipment is specifically designed and listed for it, and the practical impact is on technician equipment rather than on household safety.
What do refrigerant cylinder colours mean?
Historically each refrigerant had a colour — R-22 light green, R-410A pink. The industry has moved to standard grey cylinders with printed labels, because colour coding was being used as a substitute for reading the label. Always identify refrigerant from the label.
Which refrigerant is best?
For a system you already own, the question does not apply — you use what the equipment is designed for. For new equipment you will get R-454B or R-32, and neither will change how well your home cools.
Sources & verification
✓ Verified against a manufacturer, regulator, or standards source
- GWP values computed from the component exchange values in Appendix A to 40 CFR Part 84, the AIM Act regulated-substance list, rather than copied from secondary sources — epa.gov
- EPA, “Technology Transitions HFC Restrictions by Sector” — epa.gov
⚠ Provisional — market-survey estimate, not a manufacturer or regulator citation
- Cost ranges are aggregated from HVAC cost-guide market surveys, collected 2026-08-31. They are not manufacturer or regulator figures, and regional pricing varies widely.
- The move away from colour-coded cylinders toward standard grey with printed labels is an industry practice shift, described here in general terms.
Last reviewed 2026-08-31. How we verify what we publish →
