Knowledge/Brands and suppliers/Where are Australian air conditioners actually made?
Where are Australian air conditioners actually made?
Mostly Thailand, China and Malaysia, and rarely the country on the badge. Every air conditioner legally sold here has to be on the GEMS register (the national energy-rating register), which records a country of manufacture. Across 6,057 registrations, Mitsubishi Electric registers 950 of its 1,007 models as Thailand and only 41 as Japan.
- Registrations checked
- 6,057GEMS register, Sep 2026
- Mitsubishi Electric
- 950 of 1,007registered as Thailand
- Panasonic
- 227 of 303registered as Malaysia
- Wording to use
- Registered asnot "made in"
How do we actually know where they're made?
Because it isn't a marketing question. Every air conditioner legally sold in Australia has to be registered under the federal energy efficiency rules, and the registration has to list the country of manufacture and the refrigerant. It's a government register, not a brochure.
So this is one of the few questions in this trade with a government record behind the answer, and hardly anyone seems to look it up.
Are Japanese brand air conditioners made in Japan?
| Brand | Registrations | Where they're registered as made |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Electric | 1,007 | Thailand 950, Japan 41 |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 261 | Thailand 254, China 7 |
| Toshiba | 179 | Thailand 160, Japan and Thailand 10 |
| Panasonic | 303 | Malaysia 227, China 34 |
| GENERAL (formerly Fujitsu) | 166 | Thailand 80, China 51, China and Thailand 35 |
| Daikin | 688 | Thailand 519, Australia and Thailand 112 |
Mostly not. GENERAL (formerly Fujitsu) is the one that surprises people. About half the range is registered with some Chinese content. That isn't widely known, and it isn't what the badge suggests.
Which air conditioners are actually built in Australia?
ActronAir, partly, and the register shows exactly where the line falls. 110 of its 175 models are registered as Australia, and they're the ducted splits and packaged units. The wall splits, cassettes and VRF (variable refrigerant flow) systems are registered as China. That matches ActronAir's own fine print, which says not all its products are Australian made.
Daikin, partly, and that part carries Australian Made certification. Its ducted splits are registered as Australia and Thailand together. That's an Australian-built indoor fan coil, made at Daikin's New South Wales factories, paired with an imported outdoor unit.
Temperzone is the quiet one. 118 of its 134 models are registered as Australia and New Zealand, and nearly all of them are ducted packaged units.
How should you word it to a customer?
Carefully, because the register has limits. The brand fills in the country itself. It's recorded once for a whole family of models, not for each unit shipped. Where two countries are listed, it doesn't say how the work is split. And a brand can change where a model comes from partway through its life without registering it again.
So it's good evidence of where a range is built. It doesn't prove where any one unit was made. Say "registered as", not "made in", any time a customer might rely on it. Australian Made claims can end up being tested, and that wording is what protects you.
Customer asking where it's made?
It comes up on nearly every quote and it's easy to answer badly, because the honest answer's more interesting than the marketing one.
If you want the registry figures for a brand that isn't listed here, ask.
Who this is for: small and medium HVAC contractors in Victoria. If you're a homeowner after a rebate or a repair, you need a licensed contractor, not us, and yours can point you the right way.
Related
- The warranty trap on commercial workResidential warranties look generous. Commercial collapses to two or three years. And one brand's headline warranty depends on where you bought it.
- Who owns which air conditioning brand?One Japanese group now controls GENERAL (formerly Fujitsu) and Rheem. Bosch owns Hitachi air con. Carrier owns the Toshiba brand.
- Braemar: Australian made and imported at the same timeSeeley makes its evaporative coolers and gas ducted heaters in South Australia. Its Braemar refrigerative range is imported, and registrations point to Gree.
- Who actually supplies HVAC equipment in Victoria?Two groups run most of Victorian HVAC supply. Reece Group and Beijer Ref have most of the branches, plus a handful of independents. Here's who carries what.
Review date: 1 March 2027. Figures in this area change without much notice and this page carries some that will go stale. Every number above is dated and sourced so you can check it yourself. If you find something out of date here, tell us and we will fix it.