GWP values of refrigerants: complete table + explanation

"What is the GWP of R-32?" Or: "How do I find the GWP of R-454B?" Every technician or refrigeration bookkeeper looks up questions like that regularly — usually because a calculation around CO₂ equivalent, the logbook obligation or the F-gas quota depends on it. Below is the table of the most commonly used refrigerants, plus an explanation of how GWP is determined and why it needs to be so precise in your records.

What exactly is GWP?

GWP stands for *Global Warming Potential* — a factor expressing how much more strongly a kilogram of a gas warms than a kilogram of CO₂, over a period of one hundred years. CO₂ has a GWP of 1 by definition; every other refrigerant is measured relative to that. R-410A with a GWP of 2,088 means: one kilogram that escapes has the same climate effect as 2,088 kilograms of CO₂.

The values in the F-gas Regulation come from the IPCC AR4 reports and are set out in Annex I and II of Regulation 2024/573 itself — the current regulation, which fully replaced EU 517/2014 on 11 March 2024. Newer refrigerants such as R-454B and R-1234yf are also in those annexes.

Table — most common refrigerants

Koldwerk uses the following values internally for every CO₂-equivalent calculation (leak-check frequency, logbook obligation, annual report). They come directly from Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2024/573, with IPCC AR4 as the source:

• R-744 (CO₂): GWP 1 — natural, reference gas.
• R-290 (propane): GWP 3 — natural hydrocarbon.
• R-1234yf: GWP 4 — HFO, mobile air conditioning.
• R-454B: GWP 466 — A2L blend, successor to R-410A in new heat pumps.
• R-32: GWP 675 — HFC, single-component, widely used in air conditioning and heat pumps.
• R-134a: GWP 1,430 — HFC, long the standard in car air conditioning and commercial refrigeration.
• R-407C: GWP 1,774 — HFC blend, retrofit refrigerant.
• R-410A: GWP 2,088 — HFC blend, the standard in air conditioning and heat pumps for years.
• R-404A: GWP 3,922 — HFC blend, widely used in commercial freezing and refrigeration installations; one of the most strictly phased-down types.

For even more refrigerants (R-407F, R-448A, R-449A, R-513A), consult Annex I/II of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 directly, or a current Kiwa overview — those also list the blends with their mixing ratios.

Why the exact GWP matters in your records

Three concrete places where a difference of one digit has major consequences:

• Logbook-obligation threshold. Whether an installation exceeds 5 tonnes CO₂ equivalent depends directly on the GWP used. An installation of 2.5 kg sounds small, but with R-404A (GWP 3,922) you're already at 9.8 tonnes — well within the logbook obligation.
• Frequency of [leak checks](/kennisbank/lekcontrole-f-gassen-hoe-vaak-verplicht). The 5/50/500 tonne thresholds determine whether you need to check every 12, 6 or 3 months. GWP × charge is the whole calculation.
• STEK annual report and BRL 100 audit. The annual emissions statement (leak loss × GWP) comes directly from this table. If you work with an outdated GWP value, your STEK report won't be correct and won't match the official harmonisation.

The difference between HFC, HFO and natural refrigerant

GWP values differ enormously between types for good reason. Three families to keep apart:

• HFC (hydrofluorocarbons) — R-32, R-410A, R-404A, R-134a. High to very high GWP. This is the group whose availability drops every year under the F-gas phase-down.
• HFO (hydrofluoroolefins) — R-1234yf, and components of blends such as R-454B. Much lower GWP, developed as an HFC replacement.
• Natural refrigerants — R-290, R-744 (CO₂), ammonia (R-717). GWP below 5, or even equal to 1. Increasingly used in new installations, provided flammability and pressure can be managed.

Source and version control

The GWP values in this table live in src/lib/co2-eq.ts as the single source of truth within Koldwerk; every calculation — work order flow, annual report, audit export — uses the same numbers. If the EU updates Annex I (for example moving to IPCC AR5 or AR6), that change is applied in one place and automatically flows through to all historical and new data.

How Koldwerk works with this

For every installation you select the refrigerant from a list — the matching GWP is linked automatically. The installation management module immediately shows the calculated CO₂ equivalent and the corresponding leak-check frequency; the refrigerant module uses the same GWP for the annual balance and the STEK report. No separate spreadsheet, no risk of an outdated value. Pricing is on /prijzen.

Further reading

• F-gas leak checks: how often are they mandatory? — thresholds worked out.
• Refrigerant balance: a practical guide — how GWP and changes together form one balance.
• F-gas Regulation 2024/573 — what changes at product level from 2024.
• Am I subject to the logbook obligation? — work it out in 10 seconds.

Disclaimer: the GWP values in this article come from IPCC AR4 as set out in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 (Annex II for HFOs/HCFOs, partly on an AR6 basis) — the current F-gas Regulation, which fully replaced EU 517/2014 on 11 March 2024. The EU may adjust these values in future revisions — if in doubt, consult the current EUR-Lex text.