# What are the 20-year and 100-year global warming potentials (GWP) of common refrigerants?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/refrigerant-warming-20-year-or-100-year

In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), the 20-year value of the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and other refrigerant gases listed here is 1.3 to 3.6 times the 100-year value. HFC-134a is 4,140 over 20 years and 1,530 over 100. Gases that last only a few years show the biggest gap, about 3.6 times.

## AR6 values (lifetime in years, 20-year, 100-year)

- HFC-32: 5.4 years, 2,690, 771.
- HFC-125: 30 years, 6,740, 3,740.
- HFC-134a: 14 years, 4,140, 1,530.
- HFC-143a: 51 years, 7,840, 5,810.
- HFC-152a: 1.6 years, 591, 164.
- Hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) HFO-1234yf: 0.033 years, 1.81, 0.501.
- HFO-1234ze(E): 0.052 years, 4.94, 1.37.
- Propane (R-290): 0.036 years, 0.072, 0.02.

## Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) values (20-year, 100-year)

- HFC-32: 2,430, 677.
- HFC-125: 6,090, 3,170.
- HFC-134a: 3,710, 1,300.
- HFC-143a: 6,940, 4,800.
- HFC-152a: 506, 138.

## Reading the pattern

From the table, the 20-year value is only 1.3 times the 100-year value for HFC-143a, which lasts 51 years, and 3.6 times for HFC-152a, which lasts 1.6 years. A gas that is gone within a few years has most of its warming inside the first 20. That is our reading of the numbers.

## Which one to report

The refrigerant pages on this site use 100-year values. Your buyer template or reporting framework will say which horizon it wants, so read it. Do not mix horizons or reports in one inventory, and write the basis next to every figure.

## 10 kilograms of gas leaked

- HFC-134a, AR6: 10 x 1,530 = 15,300 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) over 100 years, 10 x 4,140 = 41,400 over 20 years
- HFC-32, AR6: 10 x 771 = 7,710 over 100 years, 10 x 2,690 = 26,900 over 20 years
- HFO-1234yf, AR6: 10 x 0.501 = 5.01 over 100 years, 10 x 1.81 = 18.1 over 20 years
- Ratios: 4,140 / 1,530 = 2.7 for HFC-134a, 7,840 / 5,810 = 1.3 for HFC-143a, 591 / 164 = 3.6 for HFC-152a

The 10 kilograms is an example.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads fuel invoices and electricity bills into dated records. It does not calculate refrigerant leakage from documents, so state the GWP report you used beside every refrigerant figure.

- [AR5 or AR6: which GWP set to use](https://senseible.earth/answers/ar5-vs-ar6-gwp-which-to-use)
- [Blend GWP calculation](https://senseible.earth/answers/refrigerant-blend-gwp-calculation)
- [Low GWP refrigerant for a new chiller](https://senseible.earth/answers/low-gwp-refrigerant-choice-new-chiller)

Sources: [IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, Working Group I, Chapter 7 Supplementary Material, Table 7.SM.7](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Chapter07_SM.pdf), [IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, Working Group I, Chapter 8, Table 8.A.1](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WG1AR5_Chapter08_FINAL.pdf)

Last reviewed 2026-11-05. AR5 values are those with no climate feedbacks for non-CO2 gases. Check the horizon and report your buyer names.