R-404A Replacement Refrigerants
Reviewed · pressures computed with CoolProp 8.0 from the same data as the PT charts
What replaces R-404A in an existing system?
It depends. For retrofits, R-448A and R-449A are the usual picks. They keep the POE oil, and their GWPs (1,387 and 1,397) sit under the 2026 limit of 1,400 for new remote condensing units and supermarkets. R-452A is the transport option. All of them run with 7.5–10.8°F of glide at 40°F evaporating, where R-404A has under 1°F, so superheat and pressure controls must be reset.
Pressures side by side
Saturation pressure in psig at sea level. Evaporating rows use the vapor (dew) value, condensing rows the liquid (bubble) value, which is what you compare with suction and liquid-line gauges.
| Saturation | R-404A | R-448A | R-449A | R-407A | R-452A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evaporator (vapor, dew) | |||||
| -20°F | 16.0 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 8.5 | 12.9 |
| 0°F | 32.6 | 23.8 | 24.0 | 22.5 | 28.4 |
| 20°F | 55.3 | 43.9 | 44.0 | 42.3 | 49.8 |
| 30°F | 69.3 | 56.6 | 56.7 | 54.8 | 63.2 |
| 35°F | 77.1 | 63.7 | 63.7 | 61.8 | 70.6 |
| 40°F | 85.4 | 71.2 | 71.2 | 69.4 | 78.5 |
| 45°F | 94.2 | 79.4 | 79.3 | 77.4 | 87.0 |
| 50°F | 103.6 | 88.1 | 88.0 | 86.1 | 96.0 |
| Condenser (liquid, bubble) | |||||
| 80°F | 175.4 | 180.8 | 178.2 | 175.3 | 183.5 |
| 90°F | 204.5 | 210.9 | 207.9 | 204.8 | 213.6 |
| 95°F | 220.2 | 227.1 | 223.9 | 220.8 | 229.8 |
| 100°F | 236.8 | 244.2 | 240.7 | 237.7 | 246.9 |
| 105°F | 254.2 | 262.1 | 258.4 | 255.3 | 264.8 |
| 110°F | 272.5 | 280.9 | 277.0 | 273.9 | 283.6 |
| 115°F | 291.8 | 300.7 | 296.5 | 293.5 | 303.3 |
| 120°F | 312.1 | 321.4 | 317.0 | 314.0 | 324.0 |
| 125°F | 333.3 | 343.0 | 338.4 | 335.4 | 345.6 |
| 130°F | 355.7 | 365.7 | 360.8 | 357.9 | 368.2 |
Properties
| Property | R-404A | R-448A | R-449A | R-407A | R-452A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety class | A1 | A1 | A1 | A1 | A1 |
| Type | HFC, near-azeotropic blend | HFC/HFO, zeotropic blend | HFC/HFO, zeotropic blend | HFC, zeotropic blend | HFC/HFO, zeotropic blend |
| Composition (mass %) | R-125 44, R-143a 52, R-134a 4 | R-32 26, R-125 26, R-1234yf 20, R-134a 21, R-1234ze(E) 7 | R-32 24.3, R-125 24.7, R-1234yf 25.3, R-134a 25.7 | R-32 20, R-125 40, R-134a 40 | R-32 11, R-125 59, R-1234yf 30 |
| GWP (AR4) | 3,922 | 1,387 | 1,397 | 2,107 | 2,140 |
| Lubricant | POE (polyolester) | POE (polyolester) | POE (polyolester) | POE (polyolester) | POE (polyolester) |
| Boiling point (14.7 psia) | -51.2°F | -51.1°F | -50.6°F | -49.0°F | -52.5°F |
| Critical point | 161.8°F, 542 psia | 181.0°F, 668 psia | 180.5°F, 655 psia | 180.0°F, 655 psia | 167.2°F, 578 psia |
| Glide at 40°F evaporating | 0.9°F | 10.8°F | 10.1°F | 10.0°F | 7.5°F |
| Glide at 100°F condensing | 0.6°F | 9.1°F | 8.5°F | 7.9°F | 6.6°F |
| US status | Legal to service existing systems; barred in most new commercial refrigeration under 40 CFR 84.54, with reclaimed refrigerant required for supermarket, transport and ice-maker service from Jan 1 2029. | Allowed in new remote condensing units and supermarket systems (GWP under 1,400) until the 150/300 limits of Jan 1 2032; above the 700 limit for new cold storage since July 27 2026. | Allowed in new remote condensing units and supermarket systems (GWP under 1,400) until the 150/300 limits of Jan 1 2032; above the 700 limit for new cold storage since July 27 2026. | Legal to service; GWP 2,107 is above the limits for new remote condensing units, supermarket systems and cold storage, and SNAP-unacceptable in new cold storage since Jan 1 2023. | Legal to service; GWP 2,140 is above the 2026-2027 limits for new remote condensing, supermarket, cold storage and intermodal container systems; reclaimed refrigerant required for transport service from Jan 1 2029. |
Component compatibility
| Item | R-404A | R-448A | R-449A | R-407A | R-452A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lubricant | POE | POE, existing oil suitable | POE, existing oil suitable | POE | POE, existing oil suitable |
| Charging | Liquid | Liquid only | Liquid only | Liquid | Liquid only |
| Retrofit starting charge | Baseline | Per Solstice guide | About 85% (Chemours) | Per supplier guide | About 85% (Chemours) |
| Typical use | LT/MT commercial, transport | Racks, condensing units | Racks, cold storage, condensing units | Supermarket, cold storage | Transport, condensing units |
| Superheat and controls | Baseline | Reset on dew column | Reset on dew column | Reset on dew column | Reset on dew column |
| New RCU and supermarket (1 | Not allowed | Allowed until 2032 | Allowed until 2032 | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| New cold storage (700) | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed |
What changes in the field
Suction pressure drops for the same saturation temperature. From the PT data, at 40°F evaporating (dew) R-404A reads 85.4 psig. R-448A reads 71.2, R-449A 71.2, R-407A 69.4 and R-452A 78.5. At -20°F, a freezer, R-404A is 16.0 psig against 9.5, 9.7, 8.5 and 12.9. Any low-pressure cutout, EPR or controller setpoint entered in psig for R-404A now means a different saturation temperature and has to be reset.
The condensing side moves the other way, and only a little. At 100°F (bubble) R-404A is 236.8 psig, R-448A 244.2, R-449A 240.7, R-407A 237.7 and R-452A 246.9.
Glide is the big change. R-404A has about 0.9°F at 40°F evaporating. R-448A has 10.8°F, R-449A 10.1°F, R-407A 10.0°F and R-452A 7.5°F. Set superheat from the dew column and subcooling from the bubble column. Chemours says superheat adjustments are likely when going to R-449A. In its test case only the EEV was updated for the R-449A PT curve. The superheat calculator reads the correct column for each blend.
All five are A1, run on POE, and are high-pressure appliances under Section 608. Your recovery machine, gauges and Type II certification carry over.
Retrofit or replacement
Never top off R-404A with a replacement. The steps are:
- Record baseline pressures, temperatures, superheat and subcooling on R-404A.
- Recover the entire charge and weigh it (0 in Hg under 200 lb, 10 in Hg at 200 lb or more, high-pressure equipment made on or after Nov 15 1993).
- Keep the POE. Solstice and Chemours both say the existing POE is suitable in R-404A retrofits to their blends. Replace the filter-drier.
- Evacuate, leak check, and charge as liquid only. Chemours gives a starting charge of about 85% of the original for R-449A and R-452A. Then add in small amounts while watching superheat and subcooling.
- Reset TXV/EEV superheat, pressure controls and controller refrigerant settings, then relabel the system with refrigerant and oil.
How to choose: R-448A and R-449A are the mainstream supermarket and condensing-unit retrofits, compared in R-448A vs R-449A. R-452A is the transport-refrigeration option. R-407A is an older choice, and its GWP of 2,107 is above every 2026 new-system limit discussed here. R-507A is not a replacement because it sits at the same GWP level as R-404A.
For new equipment, the low-GWP options are the A2L blends R-454C and R-455A, both GWP 148. EPA lists them as acceptable with use conditions in commercial refrigeration, including cold storage (89 FR 50410). They are not retrofits. Copeland states that A2L refrigerants must not go into compressors and equipment not designed for A2Ls. A2L work also needs A2L-rated recovery machines and tools. See the A2L refrigerants guide.
Capacity, efficiency and cost
The only sourced figures here are from Chemours for R-449A. A display case and condensing unit converted from R-404A, with only EEV changes, used 8% less energy at 82°F ambient and 12% less at 95°F in medium temperature. In low temperature the figures were 3% and 4% less. Mass flow was 16–21% lower and discharge temperature 2–5 K higher. Chemours notes results depend on the system. No comparable figure for R-448A, R-407A or R-452A was verified for this page.
The rules decide what new systems can use. 91 FR 31284 set a GWP limit of 1,400 for new remote condensing units from July 27 2026 and for new supermarket systems from Jan 1 2027. It set 700 for new cold storage. Limits of 150/300 follow from Jan 1 2032. R-404A (3,922), R-407A and R-452A exceed 1,400. R-448A and R-449A are under it until 2032. Only R-454C and R-455A meet the 2032 limits.
Servicing existing R-404A systems stays legal. From Jan 1 2029, servicing supermarket systems, refrigerated transport and automatic commercial ice makers must use reclaimed HFC. AIM Act allowances drop to 30% of baseline in 2029–2033.
Common questions
Can you mix R-404A and R-448A or R-449A?
No. Recover the R-404A completely before charging the replacement. A mix matches no PT chart and can’t be serviced to a nameplate.
Can you still use R-404A?
Yes, to service existing equipment. It can’t be used in new remote condensing units, supermarket systems or cold storage under the 2026 limits.
PT charts and calculators
Sources
- 91 FR 31284 (May 26 2026): Phasedown of HFCs, reconsideration of Technology Transitions requirements federalregister.gov
- 40 CFR 84.54: Technology Transitions restrictions by sector ecfr.gov
- Chemours Opteon XP40 (R-449A) product information C-10021 meiersupply.com
- Solstice N40 (R-448A) brochure prod-edam.solstice.com
- Chemours Opteon XP44 (R-452A) retrofit guidelines web.archive.org
- Copeland AE Bulletin 93-11: Refrigerants and Lubricants Approved for Use in Copeland Compressors webapps.copeland.com
- 89 FR 50410 (June 13 2024): SNAP Rule 26, A2Ls and R-290 in commercial and industrial refrigeration federalregister.gov
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