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COLORS IDENTIFY REFRIGERANT CONTAINERS

The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) has a procedure for assigning colors to containers used for new and reclaimed refrigerants that meet ARI 700 purity standards. It's called Guideline N - Assignment of Refrigerant Container Colors. This voluntary guide offers a standardized way to quickly recognize the refrigerants by the color of the containers. It is a standardized system, meaning that each refrigerant compound or blend is identified by a standard color shown on its container, regardless who manufacturers the refrigerant. However, Guideline N should never replace final verification by checking the nameplate or other markings that positively identify the refrigerant in the container.

There is a chart inGuideline N that lists container colors assigned by refrigerant. A narrative description of each color is included in the guideline; actual color assignments are specified by PMS (Pantone( Matching System) color reference numbers. Guideline N combines selected colors with specific refrigerant pressure classes. In some cases, the same container color may be used for more than one refrigerant, but only by one refrigerant in each pressure class.

Colors are not automatically assigned to new refrigerants. Chemical producers must request color assignments from ARI to be included in Guideline N. Colors will not be assign by tradenames. Assignments will only be given to general refrigerant designations (i.e., ASHRAE refrigerant designation numbers, as specified and published in ASHRAE Standard 34). There are also minimum refrigerant annual sales requirements to retain color assignments.

Containers for flammable refrigerants, in addition to the base color, also will have a red colored band around the top shoulder as part of the color designations. Refrigerants that do not have a color assigned or are not sold in large enough quantities will be assigned a light green-gray color (PMS #413).

Assigning colors to containers used for recovery and recycling is not within the scope of Guideline N. Instead, these are specified in Guideline K: Containers for Recovered Fluorocarbon Refrigerants. Since these recovered refrigerants all contain oil or other impurities, they do not meet ARI 700 specifications. The color assigned to all containers used for recovered refrigerants, regard less of the refrigerant, is gray with a yellow top.

Guideline N was last published in 1995. Since then, there have been three editorial corrections to the color assignment table and the following six container colors assigned for new refrigerants:

Refrigerant	PMS#	Sample
R407D	450 (dark brown; chocolate)
R411A	266 (dark purple) with a red band around the top shoulder
R411B	326 (blue-green; teal) with a red band around the top shoulder
R414B	2995 (blue)
R416A	381 (yellow-green; lime)
R508B	302 (dark blue; navy)

Chemical producers who want container colors assigned for refrigerants which have already been given approved ASHRAE number designations, should contact Steve Szymurski at ARI (703-524-8800, ext 336; e-mail: szymurski@ari.org).