| Property | Value | Note |
|---|
How to Use the Refrigerant Properties Calculator
Click a refrigerant card or pick it from the list. The page covers 14 refrigerants, from R-22 and R-410A to R-290, R-744 and R-1234yf.
Pick degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit and enter the dew-point temperature at which you want the pressure, densities and glide. The tabulated range shows under the field.
Check the GWP, ODP, safety class, boiling point and critical point in the result cards, then the full table for molar mass and composition.
Use the pressures, densities and latent heat at your temperature, read the Canadian status note, add the project details and use PDF, CSV, Copy or Print.
Refrigerant properties: what the numbers mean on the job
A refrigerant's properties decide the gauge pressures you read, the temperature at which it boils in the evaporator, how much gas the compressor moves and what the code asks of the room it is in. The calculator gives the fixed properties of 14 refrigerants and the saturation state at any temperature you enter, so you can see all of that for one refrigerant at a time.
Where the property values come from
Pressures, densities and latent heat are computed with CoolProp, an open-source library that solves Helmholtz-energy equations of state for each fluid. R-410A, R-404A and R-507A are modelled as pseudo-pure fluids, and the other blends are mixtures built from their mass composition. The page stores a row every 2.5 K from -50 to 60°C and interpolates between rows. R-407C is tabulated to 55°C, and R-744 to 30°C because its critical point is 31.0°C. GWP values are the 100-year figures from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, the same basis the other AskHVAC refrigerant tools use.
| Refrigerant | Molar mass (g/mol) | Boiling point at 1 atm (°C) | Critical temperature (°C) | Critical pressure (kPa abs) | GWP (AR4) | ASHRAE class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-410A | 72.6 | -51.4 | 71.3 | 4,896 | 2,088 | A1 |
| R-32 | 52.0 | -51.7 | 78.1 | 5,783 | 675 | A2L |
| R-454B | 62.6 | -50.7 / -49.5 | 78.3 | 5,304 | 466 | A2L |
| R-22 | 86.5 | -40.8 | 96.1 | 4,990 | 1,810 | A1 |
| R-407C | 86.2 | -43.6 / -36.6 | 86.1 | 4,639 | 1,774 | A1 |
| R-134a | 102.0 | -26.1 | 101.1 | 4,059 | 1,430 | A1 |
| R-404A | 97.6 | -46.2 / -45.5 | 71.9 | 3,715 | 3,922 | A1 |
| R-507A | 98.9 | -46.7 | 70.5 | 3,699 | 3,985 | A1 |
| R-448A | 86.3 | -46.2 / -39.7 | 82.8 | 4,605 | 1,387 | A1 |
| R-449A | 87.2 | -45.9 / -39.8 | 82.5 | 4,517 | 1,397 | A1 |
| R-290 | 44.1 | -42.1 | 96.7 | 4,251 | 3 | A3 |
| R-600a | 58.1 | -11.7 | 134.7 | 3,629 | 3 | A3 |
| R-744 | 44.0 | sublimes at -78.5 | 31.0 | 7,377 | 1 | A1 |
| R-1234yf | 114.0 | -29.5 | 94.7 | 3,384 | 4 | A2L |
Blends with glide show the bubble point and the dew point. R-744 sublimes at atmospheric pressure. R-290, R-600a and R-1234yf carry the GWP values commonly published for them.
Pressure and temperature move together
In a saturated mixture of liquid and vapour, pressure fixes temperature. R-410A at 5°C dew sits at 933.2 kPa absolute, or 120.7 psig, while R-22 at the same temperature sits at 584.1 kPa absolute, 70.0 psig. That gap is why gauges, hoses and recovery cylinders are rated for a refrigerant and not only for the pressure of the day. At 45°C the R-410A figure climbs to 2,726.1 kPa absolute (380.7 psig). Gauge pressure is absolute pressure minus atmospheric pressure, 101.325 kPa at sea level, so a gauge reading of zero is already at 101.3 kPa absolute. When you check a charge in the field, the saturation temperature read from the gauge pairs with a measured line temperature to give superheat or subcooling, and the refrigerant charge verification calculator carries that comparison through.
Glide: two temperatures for one pressure
A blend whose components boil at different temperatures does not evaporate at a single temperature. R-410A behaves almost like a pure fluid, with 0.1 K of glide at 5°C. At the same temperature R-454B has 1.5 K, R-449A 5.6 K, R-448A 6.0 K and R-407C 6.2 K. For R-407C, a dew point of 5°C is a pressure of 546.9 kPa absolute, and at that pressure the liquid starts to boil at -1.2°C. The bubble-point pressure at 5°C is 666.0 kPa absolute. Measure superheat from the dew point and subcooling from the bubble point. Where the glide is under 0.5 K the page reports it as negligible and treats the two as one temperature.
Boiling point, critical point and what they mean for a system
R-134a boils at -26.1°C at atmospheric pressure, so an evaporator at -30°C runs at 5.0 in. Hg vacuum, and a leak there pulls air in rather than letting refrigerant out. R-600a is further below atmospheric: at -25°C it sits at 12.7 in. Hg vacuum. R-410A boils at -51.4°C, so it stays above atmospheric pressure everywhere in the tabulated range. The critical point caps the condensing range, because above it the gas cannot condense. R-410A reaches it at 71.3°C, so a condenser running at 60°C is about 11 K below it, and R-32 reaches it at 78.1°C. R-744 reaches it at 31.0°C and 7,377 kPa absolute, which is why carbon dioxide systems run transcritical on warm days.
Safety classes A1, A2L and A3
ASHRAE Standard 34 assigns each refrigerant a letter for toxicity and a number for flammability. All 14 refrigerants here carry the letter A, which marks lower toxicity. The number separates them. A 1 means no flame propagation in the test, 2L means flammable with a low burning velocity, and 3 means highly flammable. R-32, R-454B and R-1234yf are A2L, R-290 and R-600a are A3, and the other nine are A1. A2L and A3 refrigerants call for rated service equipment, no ignition sources near a release and attention to how much can collect in a room. For the airflow needed to dilute a contaminant in an enclosed space, the dilution ventilation calculator shows the arithmetic, while the equipment listing and the applicable code set the actual charge limits.
Canadian status of each refrigerant
Three federal rules touch what the calculator shows. First, R-22 is an HCFC. Since January 1, 2020 the Ozone-depleting Substances and Halocarbon Alternatives Regulations have not allowed R-22 to be imported for use as a refrigerant, whether it is new, recovered or reclaimed. Section 52 still allows an HCFC to be used or sold as a refrigerant, so existing systems are serviced from stock imported before that date and from refrigerant recovered or reclaimed in Canada. Second, the HFCs and HFC blends in the table count toward a federal consumption cap that steps down in stages through 2036, and limits on new equipment depend on the product type. The phaseout guide has the schedule and a check by product type. Third, the Federal Halocarbon Regulations govern leak tests, repairs and releases for halocarbons, which are not the rules for R-290, R-600a or R-744. Provincial certification and codes such as CSA B52 add their own requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
R-410A at 5°C dew sits at 933.2 kPa absolute, which is 120.7 psig at sea level. At 45°C dew it sits at 2,726.1 kPa absolute, or 380.7 psig. Gauge pressure is absolute pressure minus atmospheric pressure, 101.325 kPa at sea level, so a gauge at higher altitude reads slightly differently. Enter any dew-point temperature from -50 to 60°C in the calculator to see the pressure for R-410A or any of the other 13 refrigerants.
Blends whose components boil at different temperatures have glide. At 5°C the calculator shows 1.5 K for R-454B, 5.6 K for R-449A, 6.0 K for R-448A and 6.2 K for R-407C, while R-410A shows 0.1 K and pure fluids such as R-32 and R-22 show none. Measure superheat from the dew point and subcooling from the bubble point. Under 0.5 K the calculator treats the two as one temperature.
ASHRAE Standard 34 gives a refrigerant a letter for toxicity and a number for flammability. The letter A marks lower toxicity. The number 1 means no flame propagation in the test, 2L means flammable with a low burning velocity, and 3 means highly flammable. In this calculator R-32, R-454B and R-1234yf are A2L, R-290 and R-600a are A3, and the other nine are A1. A2L and A3 refrigerants need service equipment rated for them and care about ignition sources near a release.
Yes, for servicing existing equipment. Since January 1, 2020 the Ozone-depleting Substances and Halocarbon Alternatives Regulations have not allowed R-22 to be imported for use as a refrigerant, whether it is new, recovered or reclaimed. They still allow R-22 to be used or sold as a refrigerant, so existing systems are serviced from stock imported before that date and from refrigerant recovered or reclaimed in Canada. Supply is limited and the price reflects it. For a system near the end of its life, compare the cost of repair with replacement equipment that uses a current refrigerant.