Sourcing refrigerant gas blends from China

6% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 3827 covers mixtures containing halogenated derivatives of methane, ethane or propane, not elsewhere specified. All 54 leaves carried 6% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure and no registration. The table shows selected lines.

Two lines are suspended to 0% until 31 December 2028: a listed blend of difluoromethane, trifluoroiodomethane and pentafluoroethane under 3827 68 00 90 (footnote DS455), and the whole of 3827 90 00 10, a listed 2-chloropropene mixture. Single HFCs such as R32 or R134a are heading 2903 (see our chlorinated solvents and HFCs guide); confirm the commodity code.

F gas quota and selling rules

GOV.UK guidance says you must get quota to produce or import bulk HFCs, including mixtures, into Great Britain, calculated in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and you must get it before you place goods on the market. New entrants importing 100 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more a year apply to the Environment Agency in the window from 30 June to 31 August. Great Britain is phasing HFCs down by 79% by 2030 from the 2009 to 2012 average.

F gas sold in cylinders must be in refillable cylinders, and buyers who install or service stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps must hold company certification and qualifications. Virgin F gas with a global warming potential above 2,500, such as R404A and R507A, must not be used to refill systems holding 40 tonnes CO2 equivalent or more.

Ozone-depleting blends

Blends containing CFCs or HCFCs are ozone-depleting substances. GOV.UK guidance says a licence is needed to import them, and only for listed uses such as feedstock, process agents, laboratory use, critical-use halons and destruction; importing for any other use is against the law.

Specifying refrigerant

Specify the ASHRAE designation and composition tolerance, purity, moisture, acidity, non-condensable gases and residue, the cylinder type and its pressure equipment marking, fill weight, valve and labelling. Pre-charged equipment follows separate rules (see our air conditioners and heat pumps guide).

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 600 refillable cylinders of R410A under 3827 63 00 20. At £30,000 free on board and £3,000 to ship and insure, the customs value is £33,000. Refrigerant at 6% pay £1,980 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £34,980, giving £6,996. Of the £8,976 paid at import, only the £1,980 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. Quota for the HFC content must be in place before the gas is placed on the market. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Analysis: check a gas chromatography report for the batch against the blend composition and moisture limit.

Cylinders: check they are refillable, within test date, correctly marked and valved, and filled to the stated weight.

Labels: check the gas name, global warming potential and hazard labels.

What goes wrong

Refrigerant orders fail on composition and compliance. Blends are off-ratio or contaminated, disposable cylinders are shipped, gas arrives without quota cover and cannot be released, and counterfeit branded gas is mislabelled.

Test samples before shipping. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources refrigerant blends for UK wholesalers that hold F gas quota, checking the filler and its cylinders first. See factory verification.