Selling F gas in cylinders or equipment
What you must do if you are a wholesaler or reseller selling fluorinated gas (F gas) in cylinders or equipment.
This guidance applies to F gas and equipment that has already been placed on the market in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). ‘Placed on the market’ means the F gas or equipment has cleared customs for free circulation.
Selling F gas in cylinders
If you sell F gas in cylinders, they must be refillable. Find out when containers can be classed as refillable.
You will need to follow different rules depending on how your customers will use the F gas.
F gas for installation, servicing, maintenance or repair of certain equipment
The following rules apply if you plan to sell F gas to a customer who will use it to install, service, maintain or repair:
- stationary refrigeration equipment
- stationary air-conditioning equipment
- stationary heat pumps
- stationary fire protection equipment
- refrigeration units of refrigerated trucks and trailers
- mobile air conditioning equipment in vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kilograms with fewer than 8 seats
You must check that your customer and their employees hold:
A person without qualifications can collect, transport or deliver F gases.
You must keep records of:
- the customer’s certificate number
- quantities of F gases they buy
Keep these records for at least 5 years and show them to your regulator when asked.
It is against the law to buy F gas or sell F gas to a person if the person buying does not have the correct qualifications or certificates. If you do, you could receive a civil penalty. See the Environment Agency enforcement sanctions policy.
If you see someone breaking the law on F gas, report it to f-gassupport@environment-agency.gov.uk
F gas for other purposes
If you are selling F gas in cylinders for any other purpose, you should ask for a letter of assurance from each customer.
You can download a and ask your customers to complete it.
In the letter, the customer must confirm that they are permitted to buy or collect F gas and that they will:
- not intentionally release F gas into the atmosphere, unless it’s technically necessary
- take steps to prevent F gas leaks
- confirm they do not need F gas certification or qualifications
Selling F gas in equipment
You can sell F gas in equipment that is hermetically or non-hermetically sealed.
Hermetically sealed means that:
- the part of the product containing F gas is permanently sealed (for example, welded or brazed shut), even if it had capped valves or service ports
- the product has a tested leak rate of less than 3g per year
Before you sell non-hermetically sealed equipment containing F gas to a customer, you must:
- ask your end user for the details of the qualified technician who will install the equipment – you should get these details in writing
- check that the technician’s details are valid
You do not need to follow these steps for hermetically sealed equipment.
Updates to this page
Last updated 17 January 2024 + show all updates
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Multiple updates made to clarify the rules on selling F gas and when they apply.
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First published.