Fluorochemicals and refrigerants: Feedstocks
Why Chinese fluorspar sits at the root of cooling
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Fluorocarbons need HF (from fluorspar and sulphuric acid) and chlorinated hydrocarbons (from methane or methanol and chlorine). Fluorspar is the scarce input: China mines about 60% of it. Producers with their own fluorspar and HF, such as Juhua, Dongyue and Koura, or long-term spar contracts, such as SRF and Navin, are best placed.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F Fluorspar | about 1.6 t acidspar per t R32 (0.77 t HF x about 2.1 t spar per t HF) | fluorine source | about 25-35% of R32 cash cost (indicative) | hydrofluoric acid tile; stoichiometry |
| Hydrogen fluoride (hydrofluoric acid tile) | 0.46 t (R22), 0.77 t (R32), 0.78 t (R134a), 0.83 t (R125) per t (stoichiometric) | fluorinating agent | about 40-60% of raw material cost (indicative) | stoichiometry; Chinese AHF RMB 12,000-16,000/t (Faxian Gongchang 2026) |
| Chlorinated hydrocarbons (chloroform, methylene chloride, TCE, PCE) | 1.38 t chloroform per t R22; 1.63 t methylene chloride per t R32 (stoichiometric) | carbon and hydrogen skeleton | about 20-30% (indicative) | stoichiometry |
| Gas Natural gas | indirect | feed for chloromethanes | small | indicative |
| S Sulfur | about 2.6 t H2SO4 per t HF (hydrofluoric acid tile) | decomposes fluorspar | rising in 2026 with the sulphur shock (indicative) | hydrofluoric acid tile |
| NaCl Salt | indirect | chlorine for chlorinated feedstocks | small | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Integrated Chinese producers with captive fluorspar, HF and chloromethanes have the lowest cost. Indian producers import fluorspar but have their own HF and compete on quality, Western customer contracts and HFO technology partnerships. Quotas now matter more than cost: a producer without quota cannot sell, whatever its cost.
Raw materials on the commodity table
F FluorsparWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| PTFE Fluoropolymers (PTFE, PVDF) | HCFC-22 feeds PTFE; HCFC-142b feeds PVDF |
| LiPF6 Battery electrolytes | LiPF6 is made from HF and PF5 |
| Gly Herbicides | fluorinated building blocks for new actives |
| Fng Fungicides | difluoromethyl pyrazole for SDHIs |
| Ins Insecticides | CF3 groups in lambda-cyhalothrin and fipronil |