Convert R-404A to CO2e
| kg R-404A | kg CO₂e |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 2,364 |
| 1 | 4,728 |
| 1.5 | 7,092 |
| 2 | 9,456 |
| 3 | 14,184 |
| 5 | 23,640 |
| 10 | 47,280 |
| 20 | 94,560 |
| 50 | 236,400 |
| 100 | 472,800 |
Each row uses the same factor as the converter above: 1 kg R-404A = 4,728 kg CO₂e.
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R-404A is a high-GWP refrigerant blend that ran commercial and transport refrigeration — supermarket cabinets, cold stores, refrigerated trucks — for two decades, and is now being phased out fast because of its climate impact. A single kilogram is equivalent to nearly five tonnes of CO2. This converter multiplies a mass of R-404A by its live global warming potential from MasterBrain, with a toggle for the AR6 and AR5 assessment values.
To convert R-404A to CO2e, multiply the mass by its GWP-100: 4,728 (IPCC AR6) or 3,943 (AR5). So 1 kg R-404A = 4,728 kg CO2e ≈ 4.7 tonnes CO2e. To reverse, divide the CO2e by the same GWP. R-404A has one of the highest GWPs of any refrigerant in common use.
A supermarket refrigeration system loses 5 kg of R-404A over a year — a realistic figure given typical leak rates on large charges. The CO2-equivalent, at the AR6 GWP-100:
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| R-404A leaked | — | 5 kg R-404A |
| Apply GWP-100 (AR6) | 5 × 4,728 | 23,640 kg CO2e |
That single system’s leak is 23.6 tonnes CO2e — comparable to the annual emissions of several average cars, from one refrigeration cabinet.
How to convert R-404A to CO2e
Carbon-dioxide-equivalent restates a greenhouse gas’s warming impact as the mass of CO2 that would cause the same warming over a chosen time horizon. The multiplier is the gas’s global warming potential — for R-404A, 4,728 on the 100-year basis, reflecting the potent HFCs in the blend.
The formula
kg CO2e = kg R-404A × GWP-100
The GWP-100 value resolves live from MasterBrain and is shown with its source and vintage beneath the converter. Corporate reporting uses the IPCC AR6 value of 4,728; the previous AR5 value of 3,943 is offered on the toggle for inventories still on that basis.
Converting back: CO2e to R-404A
To find the mass of R-404A behind a CO2e figure, divide by the GWP. Use the swap control on the converter to reverse direction.
kg R-404A = kg CO2e ÷ 4,728
R-404A to CO2e conversion table
At the AR6 GWP-100 of 4,728.
| kg R-404A | kg CO2e | t CO2e |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 2,364 | 2.364 |
| 1 | 4,728 | 4.728 |
| 2 | 9,456 | 9.456 |
| 5 | 23,640 | 23.64 |
| 10 | 47,280 | 47.28 |
| 25 | 118,200 | 118.2 |
Why R-404A is being phased out
At a GWP-100 of 4,728, R-404A is among the most damaging refrigerants still in service. The EU F-gas Regulation bans refrigerants with a GWP above 2,500 in most new commercial refrigeration, and R-404A sits well over that line, so it has been designed out of new equipment and is being retrofitted or retired in existing systems. Lower-GWP replacements include R-448A, R-449A and R-452A, and increasingly natural refrigerants such as CO2 (R-744).
Supermarket and cold-store systems hold tens to hundreds of kilograms of refrigerant and leak at double-digit annual rates. Against a GWP of 4,728, those losses routinely dominate a retailer’s Scope 1 footprint. Account for R-404A by mass balance — nameplate charge, recharges and disposal — and convert every kilogram; do not underestimate a refrigerant line because it is “just a top-up”.
Why R-404A’s AR6 GWP is higher than AR5
Unusually, R-404A’s GWP rose between assessments — from 3,943 (AR5) to 4,728 (AR6) — because IPCC AR6 revised the GWPs of its component gases (chiefly R-125) upward. For most inventories, migrating from an AR5 to an AR6 basis therefore increases reported R-404A emissions by about 20%. If you restate a base year onto AR6, expect refrigerant emissions to step up, and disclose the change of basis.
The same refrigerant is quoted with two different global warming potentials; only one is the current basis for a greenhouse-gas inventory:
| GWP-100 | Basis | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| 4,728 | IPCC AR6 (current) | Greenhouse-gas inventories — this converter |
| 3,922 | AR4 basis · equipment nameplate | Only where a rule specifically requires it |
The AR4-era blend GWP printed on equipment and used in older F-gas accounting. Not the current AR6 figure.
What is R-404A made of?
R-404A is a near-azeotropic blend of three HFCs: R-125, R-143a and R-134a (roughly 44/52/4 by mass). It is non-flammable (safety class A1), which made it easy to adopt, but the R-143a and R-125 components are what push its GWP so high. Because it is a blend, its GWP is the mass-weighted average of its parts — different from any single component and from other blends.
Where R-404A is reported
- Scope 1 fugitive emissions — R-404A leakage from owned commercial and transport refrigeration, converted to CO2e in the corporate inventory.
- EU F-gas Regulation — R-404A is a high-GWP fluorinated gas subject to phase-down, service bans and reporting.
- Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol — its HFC components fall under the global phase-down schedule.
- IPCC AR6 — the source of the 4,728 GWP-100 used here.
Building a refrigerant or fluorinated-gas inventory — charge, recharges and mass-balance leak rates across many systems — rather than converting a single R-404A figure?
Frequently Asked Questions
Multiply the mass of R-404A by its GWP-100: 4,728 (IPCC AR6) or 3,943 (AR5). For example, 5 kg R-404A × 4,728 = 23,640 kg CO2e, about 23.6 tonnes. To reverse, divide the CO2e by the same GWP.
Its 100-year GWP is 4,728 under IPCC AR6 and 3,943 under AR5 — one of the highest of any refrigerant in common use. The value is high because R-404A is a blend of potent HFCs, chiefly R-125 and R-143a.
IPCC AR6 revised the GWPs of R-404A’s component gases (mainly R-125) upward, so the blend’s mass-weighted GWP rose from 3,943 to 4,728. This is unusual — many gases changed little — and it means restating a base year onto AR6 increases reported R-404A emissions by roughly 20%.
Because its GWP of 4,728 is far above the EU F-gas Regulation’s 2,500 threshold for most new commercial refrigeration. It has been designed out of new equipment and is being retrofitted or retired in existing systems, in line with the Kigali Amendment’s HFC phase-down.
Lower-GWP HFC/HFO blends such as R-448A, R-449A and R-452A, and increasingly natural refrigerants like CO2 (R-744) in new commercial systems. Each has a different GWP, so convert whichever refrigerant a system actually contains rather than assuming R-404A.
It is a near-azeotropic blend of three HFCs — R-125, R-143a and R-134a, roughly 44/52/4 by mass. It is non-flammable (safety class A1). Its GWP is the mass-weighted average of those components, which is why it differs from any single refrigerant.
Divide the CO2e by the GWP-100: kg R-404A = kg CO2e ÷ 4,728. For example, 47,280 kg CO2e ÷ 4,728 = 10 kg R-404A. Use the swap control on the converter to reverse direction.