Refrigerant prices in Europe: R290 and R32 to rise in Q2 2026

The European refrigerant market remains generally stable in terms of availability, but significant price changes are expected in the second quarter of 2026 for some fluids used in the HVACR sector.

Between Q1 and Q2 2026, the most significant increases were for R290 , up 11%, and R32 , up 9% along the supply chain, excluding end-user prices. Changes were more limited for other refrigerants, while prices for CO₂ R744 remained essentially stable.

This trend confirms an increasingly complex market, which includes HFCs subject to phase-down , low-GWP refrigerants , and natural fluids . For installers, maintenance technicians, distributors, and manufacturers, refrigerant price therefore becomes an important consideration, along with availability, regulations, and long-term usage prospects.

R290 and R32 lead increases in Q2 2026

In the second quarter of the year , R290 propane recorded the most significant growth compared to the first three months of 2026 , with an increase of 11% . It is followed by R32 , a refrigerant currently widely used in air conditioning and heat pumps, whose price increased by 9%.

The other fluids considered show more limited variations:

• R448A: +4%;
• R1234yf: +1%;
• R1234ze: -1%;
• R452A: -1%;
• R744: substantially stable;
• R449A and R513A: substantially stable.

The variations should not necessarily be interpreted as an indication of availability issues. Overall, the European market is described as stable on the supply side, with only isolated reports of supply difficulties.

However, the price of refrigerants continues to be influenced by multiple factors: production and logistics costs, market demand, availability along the distribution chain, and changes in the mix of fluids used by new equipment.

R134a and R410A remain at high levels

Even some of the more established HFCs continue to show increases. Between the first and second quarters of 2026, the price of R134a increased by 1% , while that of R410A increased by 2% across the entire supply chain and excluding end-user prices.

Particularly interesting is the comparison with the levels recorded in 2014. Depending on the point in the commercial chain, the price of R134a is today between 4.3 and 9.6 times higher, while for R410A the ratio varies from approximately 3.9 to 11.3 times.

Significant movements were also recorded at the equipment manufacturer level: in the second quarter, average purchase prices for HFCs increased by 3% overall, with increases of 5% for both R134a and R410A.

The data highlights how the HFC phase-down and the progressive transformation of the European market are having impacts that go beyond mere product availability. This aspect is particularly important for the service sector. A significant portion of the installed base continues to use traditional refrigerants, making it necessary to simultaneously manage the maintenance of existing equipment and the transition to lower-GWP fluids.

Regenerated refrigerants and recovery are becoming increasingly strategic

A different trend concerns regenerated R404A . Between Q1 and Q2 2026 , its purchase price decreased by 9% for service companies and by 4% for distributors . In the second quarter, at the distribution level, the price was around 96% of the virgin gas level recorded in the previous quarter.

This data highlights the growing role that refrigerant recovery, recycling, and regeneration can play in managing installed fleets . With the progressive reduction in the quantities of virgin HFCs available on the European market, properly recovering refrigerant from systems becomes important not only from an environmental perspective, but also to ensure greater availability of product for maintenance activities.

For refrigeration companies this means paying ever greater attention to:

• refrigerant recovery during interventions;
• correct identification and separation of fluids;
• prevention of contamination;
• traceability;
• use of reclaimed refrigerant when permitted;
• planning the replacement of older systems.

Refrigerant management is therefore becoming an integral part of the maintenance strategy.

A market that changes along with the refrigerant transition

Price trends in the second quarter of 2026 show that the European market is not following a uniform trajectory . On the one hand, refrigerants such as R290 and R32 are increasing, despite belonging to very different categories from an environmental and regulatory perspective. On the other hand, CO₂ remains stable, and some refrigerants show minimal or slightly negative variations.

Price alone cannot therefore be used to identify which refrigerant is best suited for a given application.

When choosing new systems, GWP, safety, energy efficiency, component availability, technical expertise, and regulatory considerations must be considered together. In existing systems, however, the availability of refrigerant for service and the possibility of using recovered or reclaimed fluids are particularly important.

As the European HFC phase-down progresses, the refrigerant market will become increasingly diversified. Monitoring prices and availability will be crucial for manufacturers, distributors, and refrigeration professionals, especially when planning maintenance activities and choosing technologies for new systems.