30LB R134A (R-134A) Refrigerant Gas | 5 Cylinders

Tetrafluoroethane is a single compound, not a blend. Nothing fractionates, there is no glide to design around, and superheat and subcooling read straight off the pressure-temperature chart. Charge it as vapour or as liquid; either works. It carries no chlorine, which is why it took over from R-12 in car and light-truck air conditioning, in medium-temperature commercial refrigeration, in bottle coolers, dehumidifiers and small chillers.

Five cylinders is stock rather than a single job. Open one and four stay sealed, so the shelf answers the next call without a run to the counter. Set the reorder point off your own logbook: burn rate follows your job mix, and nobody can read it off the pack size. Automotive work concentrates in the first hot weeks of the year, so plan the shelf against that season.

Regulatory footing differs from the gas it replaced. R-12 went out under the ozone rules; R-134a is an HFC and falls under the US phase-down instead. On a changeover, oil compatibility is the usual catch, so work to the system manufacturer's retrofit instructions rather than habit. Keep cylinders upright and out of direct sun, and charge by weight off a scale.