Refrigerant Cylinder Valve Outlets by Market (CGA/DIN/BS/AS) — Why the Same Gas Has Different Connections

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 · QUZHOU HUAFU NEW REFRIGERATION MATERIAL CO., LTD.

Refrigerant Cylinder Valve Outlets by Market (CGA/DIN/BS/AS) — Why the Same Gas Has Different Connections

Why the same refrigerant arrives with a different connection in different countries — and what that means for a shipment.

1. The problem in one line

There is no worldwide standard cylinder valve outlet. A cylinder of R134a filled and valved for one market may be physically incompatible with the charging equipment in another, even though the gas is identical.

This is a deliberate safety feature, not an accident of history: incompatible connections prevent cross-filling and mis-connection between gases and between pressure classes.

2. The main standard families

⇒ Consequence: a purchasing specification that says only “R134a cylinder” is incomplete. The usable specification is “R134a, cylinder valve outlet per ”. The numbers are also framework-specific: CGA 320, DIN 477-1 No. 6, AS 2473.2 Type 34 and a JIS outlet number are not translations of each other — each framework numbers its own threads. The United Kingdom is the case that catches people out: BS 341 No. 7 is reserved for flammable refrigerants (left-hand thread), so an R134a order must never be written as “BS 341 No. 7” — take the non-flammable outlet number from the current BS 341-3 outlet table.

3. What actually differs (and why it matters mechanically)

⇒ A cylinder that fits is not necessarily correct — mechanical fit does not prove the connection is rated for that gas or pressure.

4. The interaction buyers most often miss

Valve outlet is not independent of the fill. The filling limit for a liquefied gas is set against a reference temperature, and the valve is selected for the cylinder’s test pressure class. So the chain is:

gas  →  fill limit (by framework)  →  cylinder test pressure class  →  valve outlet standard

Change the destination market and you may have to change all three, not just the valve — the fill limit itself is jurisdiction-specific (filling ratios and temperature compensation).

5. Practical verification at receipt

1. Identify the valve outlet standard and number on the cylinder or its paperwork (not just “fits our hose”).
2. Confirm the cylinder test pressure (stamped) suits the intended charging system, and that the cylinder is within its retest date (retest and requalification).
3. Confirm the UN number / proper shipping name matches the gas.
4. Confirm the valve outlet is rated for that gas family — not merely that it mated.
5. Record the outlet standard used, so the next order to the same market is reproducible — and record it on the receiving file with the net-weight check (receiving a delivery).

Step 5 is the one that saves money: without it, a repeat order can arrive with a different connection and stop a line.

6. Where this becomes a commercial issue

Two failure modes are common and both are specification failures, not quality failures:

• Specifying by gas only → the cylinder arrives with a connection the customer cannot use.
• Specifying by “what we used last time” → works until the equipment or the market changes.

Neither is a product defect. Both are avoidable if the outlet standard is named on the order.

What we can provide

We can confirm, at quotation and order stage, the valve outlet standard and cylinder test pressure class matched to your destination market, so your receiving team knows what to expect before unpacking. The outlet standard is stated on the quotation and order confirmation; it is not carried on the transport or shipping documents, which follow the applicable dangerous-goods and customs requirements.

Contact us with: the gas, the destination market, and the charging equipment connection you need to match — those three determine the specification.

Sources

• CGA V-1 — Standard for Compressed Gas Cylinder Valve Outlet and Inlet Connections (Compressed Gas Association, US).
• DIN 477-1 — Gas cylinder valves for test pressures up to 300 bar; cylinder connections (DIN, Germany).
• BS 341-3:2002 — Transportable gas container valves — Valve outlet connections (BSI, UK).
• AS 2473.2:2015 — Valves for compressed gas cylinders — Outlet connections (threaded) (Standards Australia).
• JIS B 8246 — Gas cylinder valve outlet connections (Japanese Standards Association; used in Japan and Taiwan, China).
• GB 15383-2011 — Connection types and dimensions for gas cylinder valve outlets (SAMR/SAC, China).
• Market-specific outlet numbers are quoted from the outlet tables of the standards listed above, cross-checked against connector catalogues published by GCE, Cavagna and Emerson, and against German refrigerant trade-press listings for DIN 477 outlets.

Prepared by Quzhou Huafu New Refrigeration Material Co., Ltd — a warehousing and filling operation (storage and cylinder filling/repacking), not a manufacturer.