Knowledge/Refrigerants/R410A: what's actually banned, and what isn't
R410A: what's actually banned, and what isn't
Less than you've probably been told. The phase-down limits bulk gas imports, not equipment. The equipment ban is narrow. It covers single-head splits from July 2024, and multi-head and VRF (variable refrigerant flow) at or under 2.6 kg of charge from July 2025. Ducted is exempt, and R410A ducted equipment is still legal to import.
- Bulk gas
- Cappedby the phase-down
- Single-head splits
- Bannedfrom July 2024
- Multi-head and VRF
- Bannedat or under 2.6 kg, from July 2025
- Ducted
- Exemptstill legal to import
Is it the gas or the equipment that's banned?
There are two separate controls and they get muddled all the time. The phase-down cuts how much bulk refrigerant can be imported, year by year. That makes the gas steadily scarcer and dearer. On its own, it doesn't make any equipment illegal.
There's also a separate, narrow ban on importing some equipment that comes already charged with gas. That's where the dates come from. It covers a lot less than most people in the trade think.
Do the registrations back up the law?
Yes, and it's a good check, because the registry is separate from the law and it still agrees with it. 1,496 R410A registrations are still on the GEMS (Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards) database, and nearly all of them sit where the ban doesn't reach.
| Category | R410A registrations |
|---|---|
| Ducted packaged | 516 |
| VRF | 640 |
| Ducted split | 267 |
| Non-ducted splits | 29 |
If the ban covered ducted equipment, the two ducted rows - 783 registrations between them - wouldn't be there.
VRF is only banned at or under 2.6 kg of charge. We haven't checked the charge size on those 640 VRF registrations, so we can't say every one of them is over that line.
What does it mean for buying and quoting?
The equipment and the gas are on different timelines. You can still buy the ducted equipment. Servicing it over the next decade depends on the gas, and the gas is the bit being squeezed.
"Is my R410A system still serviceable?" is a real customer question with a real answer, and it's a much better conversation than the one where someone's told them the system is illegal.
Fielding the R410A question from customers?
It comes up on nearly every replacement quote now, and there's a lot of confident misinformation around.
Kevin will talk through how to answer it honestly without talking yourself out of the job.
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.
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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.