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R-410A, R-32 and R-454B: What New AC Equipment Runs On
For twenty years R-410A was simply what new air conditioning used. That is changing. Its global warming potential of around 2,088 put it squarely in the phase-down, and manufacturers have moved their lineups to R-32 and R-454B.
R-410A: still the installed base
Millions of split systems and heat pumps run R-410A and will for years. Service demand is not going away, and it remains available. It runs at substantially higher pressure than R-22 and requires POE oil, which is why it was never a retrofit for R-22 equipment.
If you service residential AC, R-410A is still the cylinder you reach for most often.
R-32: a single component, a third of the GWP
R-32 is one of the two components already inside R-410A, used on its own. GWP is roughly 675 against 2,088 — about a third — with comparable capacity.
Being a single compound rather than a blend, it has no temperature glide and cannot fractionate. You can charge it as vapour or liquid without the composition shifting, and the pressure-temperature chart is a single column. For a technician, that is genuinely simpler than anything else on this list.
The trade-off: it is classified A2L, mildly flammable, and runs higher discharge temperatures than R-410A.
R-454B: the R-410A successor most manufacturers chose
R-454B is a blend of R-32 and R-1234yf with a GWP around 466 — roughly 78% below R-410A. Capacity and efficiency sit close enough to R-410A that equipment designs carried over with modest changes, which is exactly why most US manufacturers selected it for new residential and light commercial equipment.
It is also A2L. It has a small temperature glide, so blend charging rules apply: charge as a liquid.
What A2L actually means for your work
A2L is “lower flammability” — these refrigerants need a sustained ignition source and a specific concentration to burn, unlike propane. But the classification carries real requirements: equipment must be designed and listed for A2L, systems may include leak detection and mitigation, and recovery equipment must be rated for A2L refrigerants.
You cannot put R-32 or R-454B into equipment built for R-410A. This is not a conservative recommendation — the equipment is not listed for it, and charging it is a safety and liability problem.
The short version
- R-410A — the installed base; keep stocking it for service
- R-32 — single component, simplest to charge, ~675 GWP, A2L
- R-454B — what most new US equipment ships with, ~466 GWP, A2L, blend rules apply
- None of them retrofits into R-22 or into each other’s equipment
Still working on R-22 equipment? See our R-22 replacement guide.
Products covered in this guide
Virgin, factory-sealed cylinders. Free shipping across the US.
