If you import or wholesale air conditioners in Europe, the next 18 months decide whether your 2027 season runs smoothly or gets stuck at the border. The EU F-Gas Regulation — Regulation (EU) 2024/573 — is a phased set of bans and quota cuts that determines, category by category and date by date, which refrigerants may still be placed on the EU market inside new air-conditioning equipment. This article turns the legal text into a purchasing timeline: what changes on 1 January 2027, what has already changed, and what to order in which window. Every legal claim below is traceable to Regulation (EU) 2024/573 and the European Commission’s air-conditioning explainer.
What changes on 1 January 2027
Three things land at once, and each hits a different part of an importer’s catalogue:
- Monobloc and other self-contained AC up to 12 kW: refrigerants with a GWP of 150 or more may no longer be placed on the market (Regulation (EU) 2024/573). That excludes R32 (GWP 675) and R410A from new portables and through-wall monoblocs. Propane (R290, GWP below 1) is not an F-gas and is unaffected.
- Chillers above 12 kW: higher-GWP refrigerants such as R134a and R410A are banned in new units from the same date (Regulation (EU) 2024/573). Commercial projects specifying chillers for 2027 delivery need low-GWP designs now.
- The HFC quota roughly halves: the EU-wide supply cap drops from 42.9 million to 21.7 million tonnes CO2-equivalent under Annex VII of the regulation. Even where an HFC product remains legal, the gas behind it becomes scarcer and more expensive.
What has already changed: the 2025 single-split rule
Since 1 January 2025, single split systems containing less than 3 kg of F-gases with a GWP of 750 or more — the classic small R410A wall split — may no longer be placed on the EU market (Regulation (EU) 2024/573). This is why the small-split market has already moved to R32. If a supplier still offers small R410A splits for EU delivery, that is a compliance red flag, not a bargain — one of several checks in our guide on how to import air conditioners from China.
The full timeline for AC importers
| Date | Equipment category | What is banned from placement on the EU market | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2025 | Single splits, <3 kg charge | F-gas refrigerants with GWP ≥750 (e.g. R410A) | Reg. (EU) 2024/573 |
| 1 Jan 2027 | Monobloc / self-contained AC ≤12 kW | Refrigerants with GWP ≥150 (excludes R32, R410A) | Reg. (EU) 2024/573 |
| 1 Jan 2027 | Chillers >12 kW | Higher-GWP refrigerants such as R134a and R410A | Reg. (EU) 2024/573 |
| 1 Jan 2027 | All HFC imports (bulk and pre-charged) | Not a ban — quota supply cut from 42.9M to 21.7M tCO2e (Annex VII) | Reg. (EU) 2024/573 |
| 1 Jan 2029 | Split air-to-air ≤12 kW | Refrigerants with GWP ≥150 (ends R32 in this class) | Reg. (EU) 2024/573 |
| 1 Jan 2029 | Splits / VRF >12 kW | Refrigerants with GWP ≥750 (ends R410A in this class) | Reg. (EU) 2024/573 |
| 1 Jan 2032 | Monobloc / self-contained AC ≤12 kW | Any F-gas refrigerant (R290 meets this end-state) | Reg. (EU) 2024/573 |
| 1 Jan 2033 | Splits / VRF >12 kW | Refrigerants with GWP ≥150 (ends R32 in this class) | Reg. (EU) 2024/573 |
| 2035 | Remaining F-gas equipment steps | Further scheduled restrictions — verify your specific category in Annex IV before planning | Reg. (EU) 2024/573 |
What “placing on the market” means for your stock
The bans restrict placing on the market — the first time a unit is made available in the EU. They are not a retroactive sales ban on warehouse stock: units already placed on the EU market before the deadline may generally continue to be sold; confirm specifics with your compliance advisor, since documentation proving the placement date becomes critical. The practical takeaway cuts both ways. You can legally build a final buffer of compliant-today stock before a deadline — but any container that clears EU customs after the cut-off date is non-compliant, so a late vessel can turn a legal order into stranded goods. Deadlines should be planned against arrival dates, not order dates.
Decision guidance by product category
- Self-contained (portables, monoblocs): go R290 now. It carries no F-gas restriction at any horizon and already meets the 2032 end-state. Our Europe AC boom guide covers the demand side of the same equation.
- Splits ≤12 kW: R32 remains legal to place on the market until 1 January 2029. That is a real, usable window — but it is a window, not a destination, and quota pricing applies throughout. Plan your propane or other low-GWP transition alongside it.
- Splits / VRF >12 kW: R410A only until end-2028; R32 until end-2032. Larger R32 systems are a medium-term bridge for the installer channel served by our light commercial AC range.
- Chillers >12 kW: for 2027-onward delivery, only low-GWP designs are viable. We do not quote R134a or R410A chillers for EU delivery in that timeframe.
- Hydronic terminals (fan coils, AHUs): no refrigerant on board, so no F-gas exposure at all — one reason chilled-water systems with fan coil units are gaining spec share in EU commercial projects.
Quota and the F-gas Portal: the paperwork lands on you
For pre-charged HFC equipment (R32 or R410A inside), the compliance burden sits on the EU importer, not the Chinese factory. You need quota authorisations registered via the F-gas Portal to cover the gases in your imported units, plus an annual verification audit of those imports. From 2027 the halved quota makes authorisations scarcer and pricier. One frequently misunderstood workaround: shipping units charged with nitrogen instead of refrigerant avoids the quota-authorisation step at import — but the equipment bans apply to equipment that relies upon F-gases to function, so nitrogen-shipping does not get a banned category around any deadline. It defers gas procurement; it does not defer compliance. R290 equipment, by contrast, involves no quota, no portal registration and no verification audit.
What to order for summer 2027 — and when
EU importer shipments from China peak January–April, and the orders behind them are typically negotiated September–December. For summer 2027 that means locking specifications and quotations in autumn 2026. Factor transit into every deadline calculation: rail freight from Zhengzhou to Europe typically runs 15–22 days and sea freight 4–6 weeks, with seasonal variation — our shipping guide covers routing choices. A sensible 2027 order book for most European importers: R290 for everything self-contained, R32 splits sized to sell through well before their respective deadlines, and low-GWP or hydronic solutions for commercial projects.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still import R32 splits?
Yes. Split air-to-air systems up to 12 kW using R32 may be placed on the EU market until 1 January 2029, and larger R32 splits until 1 January 2033, per Regulation (EU) 2024/573. Quota authorisations and the shrinking HFC supply apply throughout, so treat R32 as a planned transition, not a permanent line.
What happens to R410A VRF systems?
Splits and VRF above 12 kW using refrigerants with GWP ≥750 — which includes R410A — are banned from placement on the market from 1 January 2029. In principle that leaves a window to end-2028, but quota scarcity after the 2027 halving adds cost and friction. For new EU projects, specifying R410A VRF now mainly buys future problems.
Do fan coil units need F-gas compliance?
No. Fan coil units, air handling units and other hydronic terminals circulate water, not refrigerant, so no F-gas ban, quota or portal registration applies to them. That regulatory simplicity is one reason chilled-water systems are attractive for EU commercial buildings — see our fan coil unit range, manufactured in our own EUROVENT- and CE-certified factory.
Who handles quota — the factory or the importer?
The EU importer. Quota authorisations, F-gas Portal registration and the annual verification audit are obligations of the party placing pre-charged HFC equipment on the EU market. A good factory partner supports you with refrigerant charge data and shipment documentation — we do — but the legal responsibility cannot be outsourced to China. More detail in our FAQ.
Plan your 2027 line-up now
The regulation will not move; the only variable is whether your catalogue is ready before your competitors’ catalogues are. Send us your current EU product mix and target markets, and we will map it against the timeline above — which lines to run down, which to replace with R290 or hydronic alternatives, and what to slot into the September–December ordering window. Contact us here — we reply within 24 hours, or message us on WhatsApp at +86 183 3606 5798.