# Fluorochemicals and refrigerants: Production route How HF and chlorinated solvents become cooling gases Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/routes/ What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost. All fluorocarbons start from HF and a chlorinated hydrocarbon. Fluorination replaces chlorine with fluorine over a catalyst and releases HCl, which is sold or recycled. HCFC-22 is the oldest high-volume product; it is being phased out as a refrigerant but grows as PTFE feedstock. HFC-32, HFC-134a and HFC-125 are the main HFCs. HFOs such as HFO-1234yf are multistep, patented by Honeywell and Chemours, and use more HF and chlorine per tonne. Fluorospecialty intermediates use Swarts, Halex or diazotisation chemistry in batch plants. #### Routes compared | Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | **HCFC-22 (R22) from chloroform** | probably the largest single fluorocarbon by tonnage including feedstock use (indicative) | about 1.38 t chloroform and 0.46 t HF per t R22 (stoichiometric) | 50-200 kt/yr per site in China (indicative) | HFC-23 by-product about 1.5-4% of R22 output (indicative) | about 0.84 t HCl per t (stoichiometric); HFC-23 | not published | | **HFC-32 (R32) from methylene chloride** | largest HFC by volume in China; Juhua holds about 46% of Chinese R32 quota (36Kr 2026) | about 1.63 t methylene chloride and 0.77 t HF per t R32 (stoichiometric) | 15-100 kt/yr (Navin adding 15 kt/yr for Rs 240 crore, ICICI Direct 2026) | high | about 1.40 t HCl per t (stoichiometric) | raw materials about RMB 13,000-17,000/t at HF RMB 12,000-16,000/t and methylene chloride about RMB 2,500/t (calculated, indicative) | | **HFC-134a and HFC-125 (and blends R410A, R404A, R407C)** | Juhua 36% of Chinese R134a quota and 38% of R125; Sanmei 24% of R134a (36Kr 2026) | R134a: about 1.29 t TCE and 0.78 t HF; R125: about 1.38 t PCE and 0.83 t HF (stoichiometric) | 20-100 kt/yr (indicative) | high | R134a about 1.07 t HCl; R125 about 1.22 t HCl per t (stoichiometric) | not published | | **HFOs (HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze, HFO-1233zd)** | small but growing; China had about 2,500 t/yr of R1234yf capacity in 2024 (Juhua), projected 15,000-20,000 t/yr by 2027 (Faxian Gongchang 2026) | about 0.7 t HF per t HFO-1234yf plus chlorinated C3 feedstock (stoichiometric, indicative) | 5-40 kt/yr; SRF 20 kt/yr plus 30 kt/yr HF in Odisha (SRF FY2026) | not published | HCl; HFO-1234yf breaks down in air to trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) | several times R134a (indicative) | | **Fluorospecialty and fluorinated building blocks** | about 10% of fluorocarbon tonnage, much more of value (indicative) | varies; LiPF6 needs about 0.65 t AHF per t (Faxian Gongchang 2026) | hundreds of tonnes to a few kt per product | not published | fluoride and salt effluent | not published | #### How each route works **HCFC-22 (R22) from chloroform** Chloroform reacts with HF in the liquid phase over antimony pentachloride. Over-fluorination gives HFC-23, which must be captured and incinerated to avoid huge emissions. Cheap PTFE feedstock; ozone-depleting as a refrigerant and a source of HFC-23. stoichiometry; fluoropolymers tile **HFC-32 (R32) from methylene chloride** Methylene chloride and HF react in the liquid or gas phase. R32 is used pure in split air conditioners and as half of R410A. Efficient and lower GWP than R410A; mildly flammable (A2L) and still an HFC under Kigali. stoichiometry; Faxian Gongchang 2026 (HF price); ICICI Direct (Apr 2026) **HFC-134a and HFC-125 (and blends R410A, R404A, R407C)** HFC-134a is made from trichloroethylene and HF in two steps; HFC-125 from perchloroethylene and HF through HCFC-123 and HCFC-124. Blends are mixed after purification. Non-flammable (A1); high GWP (R134a 1,430; R125 3,500) so first in line for cuts. stoichiometry; 36Kr (Jun 2026) **HFOs (HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze, HFO-1233zd)** Multistep routes, for example from 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene via HCFO-1233xf and HCFC-244bb to HFO-1234yf. Process patents are held by Honeywell and Chemours, and licensed or contracted to Chinese and Indian makers. Very low GWP; costly, patent-heavy, and counted as PFAS by the OECD definition used in the EU proposal. SRF FY2026 via Multibagg; Faxian Gongchang 2026 **Fluorospecialty and fluorinated building blocks** Batch fluorination of aromatics and heterocycles (Swarts exchange with HF, Halex with potassium fluoride, Balz-Schiemann diazotisation) to make trifluoromethyl benzenes, fluoroanilines, fluorinated pyrazoles and LiPF6. High margin and customer lock-in through custom synthesis; volatile when big agro or battery customers destock. Faxian Gongchang 2026; indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region. ## Other sections - [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/index.md) - [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/overview/index.md) - [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/correlation/index.md) - [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/production/index.md) - [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/feedstocks/index.md) - [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/cycles/index.md) - [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/trading/index.md) - [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/movement/index.md) - [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/regulation/index.md) - [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/characteristics/index.md) - [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/emissions/index.md) - [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/fluoro_intermediates/links/index.md)