R-32 vs R-410A vs R-454B: the differences and which one to choose

"Can I still get an R-410A installation delivered? Should I switch to R-32 now, or go straight to R-454B?" — questions every installer and larger end customer runs into as soon as an air conditioner or heat pump is due for replacement. The three refrigerants look interchangeable, but differ on four points that matter to you directly: GWP, safety class, composition, and what the F-gas phase-down will do to them over the coming years. Below, the three side by side.

The three at a glance

In short:

• [R-410A](/kennisbank/begrippen#r410a) — HFC blend (R-32 + R-125, roughly fifty-fifty), GWP 2,088, safety class A1 (non-flammable, non-toxic). The market standard in air conditioning and heat pumps from 2015; now in active phase-out.
• [R-32](/kennisbank/begrippen#r32) — pure single-component HFC, GWP 675, safety class A2L (mildly flammable at high concentrations). The dominant choice for new split air conditioners and heat pumps since around 2018.
• [R-454B](/kennisbank/begrippen#r454b) — HFO blend (R-32 + R-1234yf), GWP 466, safety class A2L. The recent successor to R-410A in commercial and residential heat pumps, with a notably lower GWP than R-32.

The full GWP context — including R-404A, R-134a and natural refrigerants — is in the GWP table.

R-410A — what it is and why it's disappearing

R-410A is an HFC blend that was the comfort refrigerant for a long time: non-flammable (A1), good COP, high volumetric capacity. That makes it easy to design for and safe to install. But its GWP of 2,088 means one kilo of R-410A has the same climate impact as more than two tonnes of CO₂.

Under the F-gas Regulation 2024/573 that starts to bite hard:

• The quota on placing HFCs on the market falls every year. High-GWP types eat into it disproportionately, so suppliers stop placing R-410A cylinders.
• For new split air conditioners/heat pumps (air-to-water) up to 12 kW, a ban on refrigerant GWP ≥150 applies from 2027 — R-410A falls well outside that. For air-to-air systems up to 12 kW the same limit applies from 2029.
• Servicing and topping up may continue, but gradually becomes more expensive and harder due to scarcity.

How to prepare — inventory, retrofit paths, customer communication — is worked out in F-gas quota 2027: prepare your business.

R-32 — the most widely used successor

R-32 is a single-component refrigerant (not a blend), which makes administration simpler: one type, one GWP value, no blend ratio to keep track of. With a GWP of 675, however, it sits above the 150 limit the F-gas Regulation applies from 2027/2029 to new split air conditioners/heat pumps up to 12 kW — R-32 is a stepping stone, not a final destination.

The price you pay for it: A2L classification. That means R-32 is flammable at high concentrations (more than ~14% in air). In practice that means:

• A minimum room size per kilo of charge — an installer can't simply put a 3 kg R-32 unit in a two-cubic-metre storage cupboard.
• Leak detection and ventilation requirements for installations inside small rooms.
• Fire extinguisher requirements for cylinder storage (no open flame in the same room).

For the BRL 200-certified technician this is standard knowledge; for the end customer it's something to mention up front. The LMRA for R-32 work should explicitly check room size and ventilation.

R-454B — the even-lower-GWP alternative

R-454B is a blend of R-32 and R-1234yf (an HFO). The added HFO pushes the GWP down to 466 — a third of what it would be as a pure HFC. For clients buying an installation now that still needs to run in 15 years, that's an interesting "future-proof" choice: well below every announced threshold.

In practice the differences from R-32 are limited:

• Comparable operating pressure and cooling/heating capacity.
• Also A2L — the same room and ventilation requirements.
• It ís a blend rather than single-component, so with large leaks the blend ratio can shift slightly; for service that means: with a substantial top-up, often better to pump down and recharge than to build on the residual charge.

Availability is growing, but at the time of writing R-454B equipment is not yet available from every manufacturer in every capacity segment.

Which one do you choose now — a decision table

General guidelines, not tailored advice:

• New build home or small commercial, small volume: R-32 or R-454B; R-410A rarely makes sense any more.
• Replacement in an existing R-410A installation: pumping down + a new unit on R-32/R-454B is almost always cheaper in the long run than a like-for-like replacement with R-410A.
• Future-proofing above all: R-454B (GWP 466) is further from future thresholds than R-32 (GWP 675).
• Administrative simplicity: R-32 (single-component) is slightly easier in the refrigerant balance than a blend.
• A natural refrigerant as an option: for heat pumps, [R-290 (propane)](/kennisbank/begrippen#r290) (GWP 3) is becoming increasingly common — especially for outdoor units where the A3 flammability is not an issue.

Drop-in retrofit — is that possible?

Short version: no, not one-to-one. For air conditioners and heat pumps, R-32 and R-454B are technically not a drop-in for R-410A:

• The oil type sometimes differs (R-410A units use POE oil, as do R-32 and R-454B — but the viscosity grade can deviate).
• Operating pressure differs slightly, which affects expansion valves.
• Safety classification: converting an A1 installation to A2L requires re-evaluating ventilation and room size.

In commercial refrigeration, official retrofit paths dó exist (for example R-449A or R-448A for R-404A installations); for air conditioning/heat pumps, replacing the outdoor unit is usually the practical route. Consult the manufacturer's documentation before taking on a retrofit — pure HFO blends can't always be freely combined with existing components.

And what if R-32 is also phased out in a few years?

A realistic question. The 750-GWP limit from the 2024/573 Regulation is fine for R-32 (675), but if the EU later lowers the limit to, say, 150 — which the Regulation already envisages for specific segments — then both R-32 and R-454B fall outside it.

What that would mean:

• Servicing and topping up may continue for existing installations, but becomes more expensive.
• New builds would have to move to refrigerants with GWP < 150 — in practice natural types (R-290, R-744, ammonia) or future low-GWP blends.
• Planning for a 10-15-year lifespan then becomes a matter of factoring refrigerant choice into the quote.

One date is already fixed: from 2029 the GWP<150 limit also applies to air-to-air systems up to 12 kW, and for split systems above 12 kW a further step to GWP<150 follows in 2033 (after an intermediate step of GWP<750 in 2029) — both already included in Annex IV of Regulation (EU) 2024/573. So it's wise to bring that timeline up in customer conversations now.

How Koldwerk works with this

For every installation you select the refrigerant from a fixed list — fed by one canonical GWP table within the system. The matching GWP, CO₂ equivalent and leak-check frequency follow automatically. Blends (R-410A, R-454B) get the same calculation logic as single-component (R-32) — for the refrigerant balance there's no difference. In an upgrade project you record historically in installation management which types an installation has had — useful for future audits and for the customer themselves. Pricing is on /prijzen.

Further reading

• GWP values of refrigerants — full table with R-407C, R-134a, R-404A and natural types.
• F-gas quota 2027: prepare your business — what the phase-down does concretely, year by year.
• F-gas Regulation 2024/573 — the rules behind the bans.
• F-gas leak checks: how often are they mandatory? — thresholds worked out per type.

Disclaimer: this article is a general orientation for installers and end customers. Specific product requirements differ per manufacturer, capacity segment and application — always consult the manufacturer's documentation and the current Regulation (EU) 2024/573 (opent in nieuw tabblad) for concrete purchase or retrofit decisions.