Refrigerant Naming

EPA 608 Core Chapter 18 (Take full course for free)

In this module, we will discuss different naming conventions for the refrigerants. Skip to quiz!

1. Refrigerant Naming

To wrap up this discussion on different types of refrigerants, let’s go over some alternative naming conventions for the refrigerants we just looked at.

Refrigerants may be named by a combination of “R” and a number, where the letter R refers to the fact that this chemical is a refrigerant.

This naming convention was developed by ASHRAE, so this number can also be called a refrigerant’s ASHRAE number. ASHRAE is a global organization of engineers that establishes guidelines and standards in the HVAC industry.

For example, R-12 is the name of a refrigerant using its ASHRAE number. As we discussed in this module, R-12 is a CFC.

R-12 is the same as CFC-12. They are two ways of referring to the same refrigerant. As long as the number part is the same, it is the same refrigerant.

To avoid confusion, there is no HCFC-12 or HFC-12. So when we say R-12, there’s only one refrigerant it could be, and that is CFC-12.

To reiterate, the following refrigerants are the same:

R-12 is the same as CFC-12

R-22 is the same as HCFC-22

R-134a is the same as HFC-134a

R-1234yf is the same as HFO-1234yf

2. Conclusion

In this module, we identified the different trade names and naming conventions for each type of refrigerant. For example, CFC-11 is the same refrigerant as R-11. They are both trade names for the same CFC refrigerant.

Question #1: R-134a is the same as

1. CFC-134a

2. HCFC-134a

3. HFC-134a

4. HFO-134a

Scroll down for the answer...

R-134a is an HFC. So it is the same as HFC-134a.

Question #2: R-1234yf is the same as:

1. CFC-1234yf

2. HCFC-1234yf

3. HFC-1234yf

4. HFO-1234yf

Scroll down for the answer...

R-1234yf is an HFO. So it is the same as HFO-1234yf.

Question #3: R-11 is the same as

1. CFC-11

2. HCFC-11

3. HFC-11

4. HFO-11

Scroll down for the answer...

R-11 is a CFC. So it is the same as CFC-11.

Question #4: R-12 is the same as

1. CFC-12

2. CFC-11

3. HCFC-12

4. HFO-12

Scroll down for the answer...

R-12 is a CFC. So it is the same as CFC-12.

Question #5: R-410a is the same as

1. CFC-410b

2. HFC-410b

3. HFC-410a

4. HFO-410a

Scroll down for the answer...

R-410a is an HFC. So it is the same as HFC-410a.