Phaseout of Class II Ozone-Depleting Substances

What's New

Class II controlled substances have an ozone depletion potential (ODP) less than 0.2 and are subject to a later phaseout schedule than Class I substances. Class II substances are all hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which were developed as transitional substitutes for Class I substances and which have many of the same uses as CFCs.

Of the 34 HCFCs, the most widely used have been HCFC-22 (a commercial refrigerant), HCFC-141b (a solvent and foam-blowing agent), and HCFC-142b (a foam-blowing agent and component in refrigerant blends). EPA's efforts to phase out Class II substances has focused on these three HCFCs because they have the highest OPDs of all HCFCs. On January 1, 2010, production and import of virgin HCFC-22 and HCFC-142b will be banned, with certain exceptions. EPA banned the production and import of virgin HCFC-141b in 2003. More information can be found in the fact sheets below.

Section 605 of the Clean Air Act sets the phaseout targets for Class II substances. The phaseout framework was established in EPA’s January 21, 2003, final rule (68 FR 2819) (PDF) (282 kb, 45 pp., About PDF).

At the 19th Meeting of the Parties in Montreal on September 17-21, 2007, the Parties agreed to a more aggressive phasedown of HCFCs in both developing and developed countries. The overall schedule for the HCFC phaseout in the U.S. remains the same, and includes the following milestones:

**Table 2: Phaseout Schedule for Class II Substances under the Montreal Protocol and as Implemented by U.S. Regulations**
Montreal Protocol		United States
Year	% Reduction in Consumption and Production, Using the Cap as a Baseline	Year	Implementation of HCFC Phaseout through Clean Air Act Regulations
2004	35%	2003	No production and no importing of HCFC-141b
2010	75%¹	2010	No production and no importing of HCFC-142b and HCFC-22, except for use in equipment manufactured before 1/1/2010 (so no production or importing for NEW equipment that uses these refrigerants)
2015²	90%	2015	No production and no importing of any HCFCs, except for use as refrigerants in equipment manufactured before 1/1/2020
2020	99.5%³	2020	No production and no importing of HCFC-142b and HCFC-22
2030	100%	2030	No production and no importing of any HCFCs

¹ The Parties adjusted the phaseout schedule from 65% to 75% for 2010 at the 19th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, September 2007.

² The Parties agreed to address the possibilities or need for essential use exemptions, no later than 2015.

³ The Parties agreed to review in 2015 the need for the 0.5 per cent production or import for servicing during the period 2020-2030.

You will need the free Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Brochures

Servicing Needs

REVISED (June 2008) The U.S. Phaseout of HCFCs: Projected Servicing Needs in the U.S. Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Sector (PDF) (51 pp, 332 K)
REVISED (September 2006) The U.S. Phaseout of HCFCs: Projected Servicing Needs in the U.S. Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Sector (PDF) (43 pp, 641 K)
(November 2005) Preliminary Draft Report: The U.S. Phaseout of HCFCs: Projected Servicing Needs in the U.S. Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Sector (PDF) (38 pp, 381 K)
- Notice of Data Availability: Information Concerning the Current and Predicted Use of HCFC–22 and HCFC–142b

Regulations and Federal Register Notices

Direct Final Rule (July 20, 2006; 71 FR 41163)
Direct Final Rule (June 17, 2004; 69 FR 34024)
Proposed Rule (June 17, 2004; 69 FR 34034)
Technical Correction of Final Rule (July 16, 2003; 68 FR 41925)
Final Rule (January 21, 2003; 68 FR 2819)
Proposed Rule (July 20, 2001; 66 FR 38063)
Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule (April 5, 1999; 64 FR 16373)

Accellerated Phaseout of Class II Controlled Substances: Proposed Rule (March 18, 1993; 58 FR 15014)
Final Rule (December 10, 1993; 58 FR 65018)