China: ODS Regulations 2024, HFC quotas, Kigali (group 1), HCFC phase-out and GB standards

China · Laws and regulations

Refrigerant rules in China: ODS Regulations covering HFCs since 2024, annual MEE HFC quotas, the Kigali freeze in 2024 and −10 % by 2029, HCFC phase-out, filing for service firms, GB/T 9237.

Last checked: October 29, 2026Last changed: October 29, 2026 – Added the MEE notice 环大气〔2026〕8号 (in force 1 March 2026), fines under articles 35 and 18, and pressure vessel registration.

Key points

China is not part of the EU, and the EU F-gas Regulation does not apply. Refrigerants are governed by the 消耗臭氧层物质管理条例 (Regulations on the Administration of Ozone Depleting Substances), administered by the environment ministry MEE ^[1].
The Regulations were revised in 2023 (State Council Order No. 770) and have applied in their new form since 1 March 2024. They now cover every substance on China's list of controlled substances, and therefore HFCs ^[1]^[2].
China accepted the Kigali Amendment in 2021 and is in Article 5, group 1: HFCs froze in 2024 and must fall by 10 % by 2029. MEE allocates annual quotas for production and import ^[3]^[4]^[5].
Firms that service or scrap refrigeration systems with controlled substances must file with the authority (备案), recover the refrigerant and keep records for at least three years ^[1]. A MEE notice in force since 1 March 2026 adds duties for sellers and installers: no refrigerant sales to individuals, filing by installers, and reporting duties ^[9].
HCFCs are being phased out: by 2030, 97.5 % must be gone, and the rest may only be used for servicing refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment ^[6].

The legal frame: the ODS Regulations and MEE

China is a Party to the Montreal Protocol and implements it through the 消耗臭氧层物质管理条例 (Regulations on the Administration of Ozone Depleting Substances), a State Council regulation. The competent authority is the 生态环境部 (Ministry of Ecology and Environment, MEE) together with the local environment authorities ^[1]. The EU F-gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 does not apply in China. EU requirements such as CO2e-based leak checks and F-gas certificates therefore do not apply either.

The Regulations were amended by State Council Order No. 770, in force since 1 March 2024 ^[2]. The main changes ^[2]:

Controlled substances are now those on China's list of controlled ozone-depleting substances. The list also includes HFCs, so HFCs are now regulated by the same Regulations.
More businesses that use controlled substances must file with the environment authority (备案).
Large producers and users must install automatic monitoring equipment connected to the authority.
Fines were raised. A firm that collects or destroys refrigerant and instead releases it directly can be fined 100,000–500,000 yuan.

In August 2026 the Regulations were amended again, but only formally: they now refer to China's new environmental code, the 生态环境法典 (Ecological Environment Code) ^[1].

Servicing, recovery and records

The Regulations place duties directly on servicing firms ^[1]^[2]:

Firms that service or scrap refrigeration equipment, refrigeration systems or fire-suppression systems containing controlled substances must file with the local environment authority (备案).
The refrigerant must be recovered and reused, or handed to a firm licensed to reclaim or destroy it. It must not be released.
Business records must be kept for at least three years, and data must be reported under MEE rules. Missing filing or records can lead to fines of 5,000–20,000 yuan.
A servicing firm that uses controlled substances to service refrigeration or fire-suppression systems does not need its own use quota.
A servicing firm that does not recover the refrigerant or hand it to a licensed firm can be fined 50,000–200,000 yuan (Art. 35). If it refuses to put this right, the authority can order it to stop operating until it has complied ^[1].
Refrigerant may be bought and sold only between producers, sellers and users that comply with the Regulations (Art. 18). Selling to or buying from a non-compliant firm can lead to confiscation and a fine of three times the market value of the refrigerant (Art. 33) ^[1].

We have not found any requirement in the Regulations for personal certification of refrigeration technicians of the EU type. The duties apply to the firm: filing, recovery and records ^[1].

MEE notice 环大气〔2026〕8号 (in force 1 March 2026)

On 9 February 2026 MEE issued the notice 环大气〔2026〕8号 on stricter management of ozone-depleting substances and HFCs. It has applied since 1 March 2026 (point 八(二十)) ^[9]. Four points matter for refrigeration firms ^[9]:

Sales (point 二(四)): a seller may not sell controlled substances or mixtures, which includes refrigerants, to individuals. Sellers must file with the city-level environment authority (point 二(五)).
Installers (point 三(八)2): firms that make, build or install refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment or systems using controlled substances must file (备案) with the city-level environment authority. This does not apply to firms that already hold a use quota licence.
Information to the user (point 三(九)): an installer must tell the user which substance and how much was used, and which firm supplied it, and must keep the original records.
Reporting (points 六(十四) and 六(十五)): all these firms use the 消耗臭氧层物质信息管理系统 (ODS information management system) and keep the records for at least 3 years. Manufacturers, sellers and users report within 15 working days after each quarter. Servicing, installing and scrapping firms count as service firms and report within 30 working days after the end of the year.

HFCs: the Kigali Amendment and group 1

China deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Kigali Amendment on 17 June 2021, and the Amendment has applied to China since 15 September 2021. At that time it did not apply to Hong Kong ^[5]. China belongs to Article 5, group 1, with this schedule ^[4]:

Step	Requirement for HFC production and consumption (in CO2e)
Baseline	Average HFC 2020–2022 plus 65 % of the HCFC baseline
2024	Freeze at the baseline
2029	−10 %
2035	−30 %
2040	−50 %
2045	−80 %

MEE puts China's baseline at 1.853 billion tonnes CO2e for production and 0.905 billion tonnes CO2e for consumption. MEE has allocated annual HFC quotas for production, domestic use and import for 2024, 2025 and 2026, and the freeze has been met ^[3]. Quotas are set in CO2e and allocated per substance to producers and importers. In August 2026 MEE put the 2027 quota plan out for consultation until 3 September 2026 ^[3].

From 2029 the HFC amount must be 10 % below the baseline. Expect supply of high-GWP HFCs such as R404A to shrink and prices to rise. Choose low-GWP refrigerants for new systems ^[3]^[4].

HCFCs: the phase-out to 2030

In April 2025 MEE and four other authorities issued the 国家方案 2025–2030 (National Plan for Implementing the Montreal Protocol 2025–2030) ^[6]:

Year	HCFCs compared with the baseline
2025	Production −67.5 %, consumption −73.2 %
2030	−97.5 %, the rest (2.5 %) for servicing refrigeration and AC equipment only

The same plan requires HFCs to fall by 10 % by 2029 ^[6]. Existing R22 systems can therefore be serviced until 2030 and then with a small servicing allowance, but supply is shrinking.

Import and export

Import and export of controlled substances require a quota and a permit. Importers and exporters must first obtain an annual quota and then an approval for each shipment ^[1]. HFC imports are covered by MEE's annual import quotas ^[3].

Safety standards

GB/T 9237-2017 (Refrigerating systems and heat pumps – Safety and environmental requirements) has applied since 1 July 2018 and is a modified adoption of ISO 5149:2014. The standard is under review and a revision is in progress ^[7]. Safety classes, charge limits and machinery room requirements therefore follow ISO 5149.

For household heat pumps, air-conditioners and dehumidifiers, GB/T 4706.32-2024 applies. It is identical to IEC 60335-2-40:2022 and has applied since 1 August 2026. It replaces GB 4706.32-2012 and contains the rules for flammable refrigerants (A2L, A2, A3) in such units ^[8].

Pressure vessels: special equipment rules

Refrigeration vessels and pipes can be 特种设备 (special equipment) under the Special Equipment Safety Law and the Special Equipment Supervision Regulation. Under Art. 99 of the Regulation, a pressure vessel is a closed vessel with a maximum working pressure of at least 0.1 MPa (gauge) and a pressure-volume product of at least 2.5 MPa·L. A pressure pipe is a pipe with at least 0.1 MPa (gauge) and a nominal diameter above 25 mm ^[11].

The user must register the equipment with the supervising authority before it is put into use, or within 30 days after (Law Art. 33) ^[10].
The user must request the periodic inspection one month before the previous one expires (Regulation Art. 28) ^[11].

Which refrigeration vessels and pipes fall under these rules, and the technical details, are set in the safety technical codes (TSG), for example TSG 21 for stationary pressure vessels. TSG 21 is not in our legal-text archive, so we have not checked it.

Practical checklist

File your servicing firm (备案) with the local environment authority before servicing or scrapping systems with controlled substances ^[1].
Recover all refrigerant. Releases can lead to heavy fines ^[1]^[2].
Keep records of purchases, recovery and hand-over for at least three years ^[1].
Installers: file (备案) with the city-level environment authority, tell the user the refrigerant type, amount and supplier, report annually as a service firm, and do not sell refrigerant to individuals (notice 环大气〔2026〕8号) ^[9].
Expect shrinking HFC quotas from 2029. Choose low-GWP refrigerants in new projects ^[3]^[4].
Plan replacement or conversion of R22 systems before 2030 ^[6].
Follow GB/T 9237 for refrigerating systems and GB/T 4706.32 for household units with flammable refrigerant ^[7]^[8].

The rules change every year with new quota plans. Check the current Regulations and quotas with MEE (mee.gov.cn) and the standards on openstd.samr.gov.cn before making decisions ^[1]^[3]^[7].

Calculate it yourself

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Terms in this article

ODP (ozone depletion potential)GWP (global warming potential)CO2 equivalent (CO2e)HFC (hydrofluorocarbons)HFC phase-down Refrigerant recovery Reclamation Safety class Practical limit A2L (lower flammability refrigerant)