Most F-gases are used as refrigerants in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) equipment, but also as blowing agents, aerosol propellants and solvents.
Alternatives to commonly used F-gases are listed for different sectors, which are divided in five main types:
- Refrigeration
- Air conditioning
- Heat pumps
- Other HFC-using sectors
Further information about existing prohibitions for new equipment in the EU are available for consultation in each category section.
In the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector, alternatives include:
- Non-fluorinated refrigerants (often called natural refrigerants) such as ammonia, CO2 or hydrocarbons
- Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) with an intermediate global warming potential (GWP), such as R-32
- Unsaturated HFCs and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), so-called hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and hydrochlorofluoroolefins (HCFOs)
- Low-GWP blends. containing HFOs/HCFOs
For refrigerants, safety groups are classified as follows:
| Lower toxicity | Higher toxicity | |
| No flame propagation | A1 | B1 |
| Lower flammability | A2 | B2 |
| A2L* | B2L* | |
| Higher flammability | A3 | B3 |
* A2L and B2L are flammable lower flammability refrigerants with a maximum burning velocity of ≤ 10 cm/s