Refrigerant manufacturers and distributor trade groups are warning HVAC contractors and wholesalers about counterfeit refrigerants entering U.S. distribution channels, after cylinders of R-454B and other A2L refrigerants packaged to mimic established brands began appearing in the market this spring and summer.
Chemours, one of the largest refrigerant producers serving the HVAC and refrigeration industry, said it has identified products in U.S. distribution channels using packaging designed to resemble its own branding and that of other manufacturers, even though the contents do not necessarily match the labeling. The Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International trade association, known as HARDI, confirmed it has fielded similar reports from member companies.
A Byproduct of the Refrigerant Transition
The warnings come as the HVAC industry works through its transition to lower-global-warming-potential A2L refrigerants such as R-454B and R-32, which replaced R-410A in new equipment starting Jan. 1, 2025. Vicky Helinski, marketing manager for Chemours' Thermal & Specialized Solutions Americas business, said counterfeit and mislabeled products have surfaced as the industry has moved through that shift, with packaging that closely imitates legitimate suppliers, including Chemours itself.
Alex Ayers, vice president of government affairs for HARDI, said the underlying problem of low-quality or noncompliant refrigerant entering the market is not new, but that companies impersonating an established producer's brand on packaging is a more recent development. Ayers attributed the trend in part to the federal allocation system that limits how much virgin HFC refrigerant can legally enter the U.S. market each year, which he said makes it harder for companies without historical allocation to participate legally — creating an incentive for some suppliers to misrepresent products instead.
Signs of Counterfeit Refrigerants
Helinski outlined several warning signs distributors and contractors can use to evaluate refrigerant before it reaches a jobsite. Cylinders showing signs of tampering, repainting, dents or inconsistent weld marks warrant scrutiny, since legitimate manufacturers maintain consistent packaging standards. Missing or illegible safety labels, batch codes or product information are red flags, as is a price meaningfully below prevailing market rates. Helinski also recommended verifying that any purchase comes with documentation establishing a clear chain of custody back to an authorized manufacturer or distributor.
The Environmental Protection Agency's 2021 allocation framework rule requires refrigerant sold in the U.S. to meet purity standards equivalent to AHRI Standard 700; product that fails to meet that standard is illegal to sell or distribute regardless of how it is labeled.
Liability Risk for Buyers, Not Just Sellers
Ayers said distributors and contractors face their own legal exposure if they knowingly or carelessly purchase counterfeit or illegally imported refrigerant, separate from any liability the counterfeiters themselves face. He pointed to an unrelated case last April in which building-products distributor Boise Cascade paid more than $6 million in fines for purchasing plywood from a supplier under federal investigation for evading antidumping and countervailing duties — a case the Justice Department used to argue that downstream buyers can be held responsible for ignoring warning signs about a product's origin, even when they are not the ones doing the importing.
While that case did not involve refrigerants, Ayers said it illustrates the standard regulators may apply to HVAC distributors who purchase suspiciously cheap refrigerant without verifying its source.
Safety and Performance Risks
Beyond legal exposure, contractors who unknowingly install counterfeit refrigerant face technical risks. Improper chemical composition can cause system inefficiency, component damage or outright equipment failure, increasing callback rates and potentially voiding manufacturer warranties. Helinski said some counterfeit products have been found to contain flammable or otherwise hazardous substances not disclosed on the label — a particular concern for A2L refrigerants, which are mildly flammable by design and require specific handling, charging and transport procedures that depend on accurate labeling.
Helinski said the safety story around the A2L transition is increasingly about supply chain integrity rather than the refrigerants themselves, which she said have undergone extensive testing, code development and equipment-design work before reaching the market.
Reporting Suspected Counterfeit Refrigerants
Industry groups are directing distributors and contractors who encounter suspected counterfeit or mislabeled refrigerant to report it to the EPA through the agency's online tip portal. HARDI and refrigerant manufacturers have said existing federal law already covers both the sale of counterfeit goods and the illegal sale of HFCs, meaning enforcement tools exist even without new legislation — the open question is how aggressively distributors police their own purchasing in response to the warnings.
