F-gassen8 min readUpdated 27 juli 2026

F-gas product ban timeline: which refrigerant is still allowed in new equipment?

From which date may a refrigerant no longer be newly sold in new equipment? The product ban timeline from Annex IV of EU 2024/573, per equipment category.

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Two different types of rules run together in F-gases, and that causes confusion on the shop floor: the quota (how much refrigerant manufacturers and importers together may place on the EU market) and the product ban (which refrigerant in which equipment may no longer be sold at all, regardless of quota). This article is only about the second: the product ban timeline from Annex IV of Regulation (EU) 2024/573.

Product ban versus quota: the difference that often gets confused

Quota. Regulates the total amount of CO₂ equivalent that manufacturers/importers may place on the market in the EU each year. A lower quota means scarcity and higher prices, but not a ban on a specific refrigerant in a specific unit. See F-gas quota 2027: prepare your business for the quota figures.
Product ban (Annex IV, Article 11 EU 2024/573). Prohibits placing specific categories of new equipment on the market once that equipment contains a refrigerant above a certain GWP limit, from a fixed date. This works independently of the quota: even if quota is still available, after the ban date you may no longer sell that equipment category with that refrigerant as new.

Both are set out in the same regulation, but they are separate instruments with separate timelines. For the full background of the regulation itself: New F-gas Regulation (EU 2024/573).

The product ban timeline per equipment category

Annex IV divides equipment into subcategories — self-contained (plug-in) versus split system, charge in kg, capacity in kW — each with its own date. That makes one simple rule of thumb impossible; below are the main lines, verified against the official summary of the European Commission and cross-checked with the handbook of Dutch Customs:

Household refrigerators and freezers — GWP of 150 or more banned since 1 January 2015 (already in force under the predecessor Regulation 517/2014).
Multipack centralised refrigeration systems (>40 kW) — GWP of 150 or more banned since 2022.
Self-contained commercial refrigeration (plug-in) — HFCs with GWP of 150 or more already banned since 1 January 2022; since 1 January 2025 that ban has been extended to other F-gases with GWP ≥150.
Single-split air conditioner/heat pump, charge < 3 kg — GWP of 750 or more banned since 1 January 2025.
Self-contained (plug-in) air conditioner/heat pump up to 12 kW — GWP of 150 or more banned from 1 January 2027 (safety exemption up to GWP 750); all F-gases banned from 1 January 2032 (safety exemption up to GWP 750).
Split air-to-water systems up to 12 kW — GWP of 150 or more banned from 1 January 2027.
Split air-to-air systems up to 12 kW — GWP of 150 or more banned from 1 January 2029. This is the category that covers the most common consumer and small-business split air conditioners, and the date that gets overlooked most often.
All split systems up to 12 kW — all F-gases banned from 1 January 2035 (safety exemption).
Split systems > 12 kW — GWP of 750 or more banned from 1 January 2029; GWP of 150 or more banned from 1 January 2033.

Source: summary from the European Commission (opent in nieuw tabblad), cross-checked with the handbook of Dutch Customs (opent in nieuw tabblad). Always check Annex IV itself on eur-lex.europa.eu (opent in nieuw tabblad) for your specific equipment type — a wrongly assessed subcategory (self-contained vs. split, air-to-air vs. air-to-water, charge in kg) can result in a fine.

Translated practically to commonly used refrigerants: R-410A (GWP 2,088) and R-404A (GWP 3,922) fall well above every threshold in this overview and are therefore, per category, excluded for new equipment early in the timeline. R-32 (GWP 675) remains permitted as long as the applicable threshold for the category is 750 or higher — but as soon as that threshold drops to 150, R-32 falls under it too, in principle. For the most common split air-to-air systems up to 12 kW, that already applies from 1 January 2029, not only in 2033 or 2035. See the full values in the GWP table.

What exactly does 'placing on the market' mean?

The product ban affects the moment of first sale of new equipment within the EU — not existing installations. Specifically:

New equipment after the ban date: may no longer be sold, supplied or imported if the GWP is above the limit.
Existing installations: may keep running and be repaired. Parts for repair/maintenance of existing equipment fall outside the product ban.
Equipment already legally sold before the ban date: may still be supplied on to another party (resale) for up to one year after the ban date, provided it can be demonstrated that the first sale took place before the deadline.

Maintenance of existing equipment: a separate timeline (Article 13)

Besides the product ban (new equipment), the regulation contains yet another separate timeline: a ban on using certain refrigerant for maintenance/servicing of existing installations (Article 13). That is therefore not a product ban, but a service restriction — and the dates differ. According to the AREA F-Gas Guide (October 2024 edition, based on Article 13 of the regulation):

Refrigeration installations: maintenance/servicing with new (virgin) refrigerant with GWP of 2,500 or more is banned from 1 January 2025, with an exception for recovered/reclaimed refrigerant until 1 January 2030.
Heat pump and air conditioning installations: the same limit (GWP of 2,500 or more) applies from 1 January 2026, with an exception for recovered/reclaimed refrigerant until 1 January 2032.
Exceptions: military equipment and deep-freeze equipment below -50°C fall outside this service restriction.

This therefore directly affects R-404A (GWP 3,922) and R-507A (GWP 3,985) in maintenance work — even on existing installations that you don't need to sell as new yourself.

What should you do in practice now?

Check your sales portfolio, not just your existing installations. Ask your supplier, per equipment category (self-contained/split, air-to-air/air-to-water, capacity in kW, charge in kg), which ban date applies — the subcategories in Annex IV are more precise than a rule of thumb.
Don't plan retrofit scenarios only for 2033. R-32 in smaller split air-to-air systems already runs into the GWP150 limit in 2029 — earlier than expected for many installers.
Keep maintenance and new sales separate in your records. The product ban and the service ban have different dates and different exceptions — a refrigerant balance that doesn't record this distinction makes an audit harder. See Refrigerant balance: a practical guide.
If in doubt, ask your trade association (NVKL, Techniek Nederland) for the exact subcategory, or consult Annex IV directly — the kg/kW limit between subcategories determines which date applies to your specific project.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the product ban and the quota cut?

The quota cut limits the total amount of F-gas that manufacturers and importers may bring into the EU each year (see the article on F-gas quota 2027). Independently of that, the product ban from Annex IV prohibits selling specific new equipment categories once the refrigerant in them is above a set GWP limit, from a fixed date — even if quota would still be available.

May I still maintain an existing R-410A installation after the ban date for new equipment?

Yes. The product ban (Annex IV) only affects the placing on the market of new equipment, not the maintenance of existing installations. Maintenance falls under a separate rule (Article 13): for refrigeration installations, servicing with new refrigerant of GWP 2,500 or more is banned from 1 January 2025, for air conditioning/heat pumps from 1 January 2026, with exceptions for recovered/reclaimed refrigerant until 2030 and 2032 respectively (source: AREA F-Gas Guide, Article 13).

From when may a new split air conditioner up to 12 kW no longer contain R-410A?

For split air-to-air systems up to and including 12 kW — the most common consumer and small-business split air conditioner — a GWP limit of 150 or more applies from 1 January 2029. R-410A (GWP 2,088) is well above that. Split air-to-water systems up to 12 kW already fall under the same limit from 1 January 2027. Always check the exact subcategory in Annex IV, because the type of split system determines which date applies.

What happens to equipment that was already legally sold before the ban date?

It may still be resold or supplied to another party within the EU for up to one year after the ban date, provided it can be demonstrated that the first, legal sale took place before the ban date.

Does the product ban also apply to R-32?

R-32 has a GWP of 675, so it remains permitted as long as the applicable threshold for that equipment category is 750 or higher. For split air-to-air systems up to 12 kW — the most common application of R-32 — that threshold already drops to 150 from 1 January 2029. Check this per subcategory in Annex IV.