What is R-123 refrigerant?
Need R-123 for servicing an existing chiller? We supply it in 90.8 kg drums as a registered ODS seller.
Where R-123 is used
In India, R-123 is found mainly in water-cooled centrifugal chillers: the large machines, typically 300 TR and above, that cool office towers, malls, hospitals and process plants. The Ozone Cell's handbook on HCFC phase-out in buildings names it as the refrigerant in centrifugal chillers, where almost every other HCFC air-conditioning system used R-22. It took over that role from R-11, a CFC the Montreal Protocol has since phased out.
Its second use is fire protection. India's HCFC phase-out plan lists HCFC-123 as a component of the blends used in portable fire extinguishers, the clean-agent type. In the United States the same chemistry is sold as Halotron I.
Two facts shape everything else about R-123 in India. It is not made here: India produces only HCFC-22 and imports every other HCFC, HCFC-123 included. And the volumes are small and falling: imports were 373.5 tonnes in 2016 and 47.2 tonnes in 2021, most of it for servicing existing equipment.
Key properties
| Property | R-123 |
|---|---|
| Chemical name | 2,2-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane |
| Formula | CHCl2CF3 |
| Family | HCFC (single compound) |
| Boiling point at 1 atm | 27.8 °C |
| ASHRAE safety class | B1 (higher toxicity, non-flammable) |
| Ozone depletion potential | 0.02 |
| GWP (IPCC AR4, 100-year) | 77 |
| Workplace exposure limit | 50 ppm, 8-hour average (AIHA WEEL) |
| Lubricant | Mineral oil |
| Produced in India | No, imported |
The GWP is low for a fluorocarbon, which is why R-123 was once seen as a good chiller choice. The ozone depletion is what ended it. The GWP table puts it beside the other refrigerants.
Why R-123 chillers run below atmospheric pressure
R-123 boils at 27.8 °C, so at chiller temperatures the evaporator of an R-123 machine runs below atmospheric pressure. A leak on that side does not let refrigerant out; it lets air and moisture in. That is why low-pressure centrifugal chillers carry a purge unit to remove what gets in, and why a purge that runs more often than usual is usually the first sign of a leak.
Charges are large and leak rates are low, so what happens to the charge when a machine is retired matters. The US regulator expects recovered and reclaimed R-123 to carry the servicing need there once new production ends.
Safety: why R-123 is class B1
R-123 does not burn, but it sits in ASHRAE's higher-toxicity class. Its workplace exposure limit is 50 ppm averaged over an eight-hour day. Overexposure causes dizziness and drowsiness; at high concentrations it can cause cardiac arrhythmia, and repeated exposure above 100 ppm affected liver function in animal tests. Above 250 °C it breaks down into hydrochloric acid, hydrogen fluoride and carbonyl halides.
In practice the chiller plant room needs a refrigerant detector and mechanical ventilation, which ASHRAE Standard 15 requires in refrigerating machinery rooms, and service work follows the manufacturer's safety data sheet. Our guide to refrigerant toxicity explains the classes, and ASHRAE safety classes sets out the full scheme.
How R-123 is regulated in India
R-123 is an HCFC, listed with R-22 in Annex C Group I of the Montreal Protocol, and controlled in India under the Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. The consequences are the same as for R-22: sellers and stockists must be registered, supply sits inside India's shrinking HCFC allowance, and since 1 January 2025 no HCFC may be used to manufacture new equipment. The detail is in Is R-123 banned in India?, and R-123 vs R-22 sets the two side by side. We hold an ODS seller registration for HCFC-123 and supply R-123 in 90.8 kg drums for servicing existing equipment.
Quick answers
What is R-123 used for?
Mainly in large water-cooled centrifugal chillers, and as a component of blends in some portable clean-agent fire extinguishers.
Is R-123 an ozone-depleting substance?
Yes. It is an HCFC with an ozone depletion potential of 0.02, controlled under the Montreal Protocol and India's ODS Rules, 2000, like R-22.
What is the boiling point of R-123?
27.8 °C at atmospheric pressure. It is a liquid at room temperature, and R-123 chiller evaporators run below atmospheric pressure.
Is R-123 toxic?
It is ASHRAE class B1: non-flammable but higher toxicity, with a workplace exposure limit of 50 ppm averaged over an eight-hour day.
Where can I buy R-123 in India?
From a seller registered with the Ozone Cell for HCFC-123. Shree Suswani Refrigeration in Hyderabad holds that registration and supplies R-123 in 90.8 kg drums for servicing existing chillers.
- Ozone Cell, MoEFCC · HCFC Phase-out Management Plan Stage-II (2017): India produces only HCFC-22 and imports all HCFC-123; HCFC-123 applications in centrifugal chillers and portable fire-extinguisher blends.
- Ozone Cell, MoEFCC · HCFC Phase-out Management Plan Stage-III (2023–2030): India's HCFC-123 imports 2016–2021 from Article 7 data; baseline starting points; Stage-III covers HCFC-22, HCFC-142b, HCFC-123 and HCFC-124.
- Ozone Cell, MoEFCC · A Handbook for HCFC Phase-out and Energy Efficiency in Buildings: centrifugal chillers of 300 TR and above commonly use low-pressure HCFC-123.
- IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (2007), Working Group I, Table 2.14: HCFC-123 100-year GWP 77, lifetime 1.3 years · ipcc.ch.
- Montreal Protocol, Annex C Group I (HCFCs and their ODP values) · ozone.unep.org.
- R-123 Safety Data Sheet (National Refrigerants): boiling point, AIHA WEEL of 50 ppm TWA, health effects and decomposition products · PDF.
- US EPA · Management of HCFC-123 through the Phaseout and Beyond (2020): uses, US servicing rules, recovery and reclamation, alternatives listed for new chillers · PDF.
This guide is general information compiled from the cited sources, not legal, safety or engineering advice. Read our full disclaimer.
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