Reclaimed R404A sees further price increases
1st July 2026
EUROPE: The purchase price of reclaimed R404A in Europe showed further increases in the first quarter of this year, according to latest figures from the European Commission.
Compared to Q4/2025, the purchase price of reclaimed R404A in Q1 increased by +12% on service company level and by +2% on distributor level. Q4/2025 had seen increases of 9% on service company level and 6% on distributor level.
Meanwhile, prices in Europe for the high GWP refrigerants R410A and R134a went down by 4% in Q1 compared to Q1 in 2025. These figures, which consider the whole supply chain but exclude end user prices, show a quarter-to-quarter increase of 3% for R410A and a decrease of 1% for R134a.
The price levels along the supply chain (with the exception of end user prices) of the lower GWP alternatives showed small differences from Q4/2025: R448A and R449A prices were down 1%, R513A up 4%, R452A up 2%, and R32 down 1%.
Compared to gas prices in 2014, current prices of R134a are 3.9x (end user) to 9.3x (distributor) higher, and 3.6x (end-user) to 10.8x (distributor) higher for R410A. This compares to the global market where producer prices increased by a factor of 3 for R134a and 6 for R410A in the same time period.
The Q1/2026 figures are based on returns from 60 companies from 12 EU member states, mainly Germany, Poland, France and Italy, and all supply chain levels: two gas producers, 23 distributors, 23 OEMs and nine respondents from the service sector.
The report work was compiled by independent consultants Öko-Recherche and French greenhouse gas monitoring company CiTEPA, in cooperation with Polish refrigerant management company PROZON, and the Spanish installation and maintenance companies federation CONAIF.
