EN 378
Refrigerating systems and heat pumps — Safety and environmental requirements (Parts 1–4)
Standard Introduction
EN 378 is an active standard published by CEN/CENELEC (European Standardization). It is commonly used across Machinery, Manufacturing, Energy, Construction and applies in European Union, European Economic Area.
Use this page to review the official documentation, current status, and the certification or assessment bodies most commonly associated with EN 378.
System Safety
Sets safety and environmental requirements for refrigerating systems and heat pumps, covering design, construction, installation, and operation.
Refrigerant Charge Limits
Defines maximum refrigerant charges by safety class (A1, A2L, A3) and occupancy/location category to limit toxicity and flammability risk.
Lifecycle Coverage
Four parts span basic definitions, design and construction, installation site and protection, and operation, maintenance, repair, and recovery.
list_alt Four Parts
- Part 1: Basic requirements, definitions, classification, selection criteria
- Part 2: Design, construction, testing, marking, documentation
- Part 3: Installation site and personal protection
- Part 4: Operation, maintenance, repair, and recovery
- Refrigerant safety classification (A1/A2L/A3)
- Charge limits by location and occupancy
- Harmonised under the Pressure Equipment Directive
Who Needs to Comply?
Designers, manufacturers, installers, and operators of refrigerating systems, air conditioners, and heat pumps in the EU — particularly systems using flammable or higher-charge refrigerants.
Key Requirements
Classify Refrigerant & System
Determine the refrigerant safety class and the location/occupancy category to set the applicable charge limits and protection measures.
Design to Charge Limits
Ensure refrigerant charge, room size, and ventilation comply with the part-specific limits for the chosen refrigerant class.
Installation & Protection
Apply the Part 3 site requirements — ventilation, detection, and personal protection — especially for flammable refrigerants like R290.
Operation & Recovery
Follow Part 4 for maintenance, leak checking, and recovery of refrigerant, aligning with F-Gas obligations.
Implementation Roadmap
Define EN 378 scope
Identify the refrigerating systems and heat pumps across design, installation and operation in scope, the legal or customer obligations that apply, accountable owners, affected products or services, jurisdictions, suppliers and evidence expectations. Confirm coverage for system type, refrigerant safety class, occupancy and location category, charge limits, ventilation, detection, pressure protection, documentation, maintenance, repair and refrigerant recovery.
Assess obligations and gaps
Compare current design, operations and documentation against EN 378. Review system type, refrigerant safety class, occupancy and location category, charge limits, ventilation, detection, pressure protection, documentation, maintenance, repair and refrigerant recovery, then prioritise gaps by safety, legal exposure, market-access impact, customer commitments, reporting deadlines and assurance readiness.
Implement controls and evidence
Deploy the procedures, technical controls, testing, training, supplier controls, review gates and operating records needed for EN 378. Maintain classification worksheets, charge-limit calculations, ventilation and detection designs, pressure-safety records, commissioning records, maintenance logs, leak checks, recovery records and user instructions as traceable evidence.
Review, verify and maintain
Run management review, internal checks, retesting or independent assessment where appropriate. Refresh the program when products, services, suppliers, standards, regulations, incidents, customer commitments or market-surveillance expectations change.
Compliance Checklist
checklist Scope and accountability
checklist Controls and records
checklist Monitoring and assurance
Penalties & Enforcement
EN 378 is voluntary but widely referenced for PED and machinery compliance and by national F-Gas rules. Non-conformance can undermine CE marking and lead to enforcement where safety requirements are not met.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs EN 378?
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EN 378 is relevant to organizations that design, manufacture, import, distribute, operate, certify, test or procure refrigerating systems and heat pumps across design, installation and operation. Exact applicability depends on the product or service scope, jurisdiction, role in the supply chain, customer commitments and the specific obligations triggered by the standard or regulation.
Is EN 378 certifiable?
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EN 378 is a voluntary European standard. It is often used to support PED, Machinery, LVD and F-Gas compliance, but certification depends on the product, system and conformity route.
What should a EN 378 implementation start with?
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Start by defining scope and accountable owners, then map the applicable requirements to existing products, services, systems, suppliers and evidence. A focused gap assessment should identify missing tests, records, procedures, labels, declarations, risk assessments or assurance steps before detailed remediation begins.
What evidence is useful for EN 378?
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Useful evidence includes classification worksheets, charge-limit calculations, ventilation and detection designs, pressure-safety records, commissioning records, maintenance logs, leak checks, recovery records and user instructions. Evidence should be version-controlled, traceable to requirements and owners, retained for the required period and ready for customers, auditors, certification bodies, regulators or market-surveillance authorities.
How often should EN 378 compliance be reviewed?
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Review it on a planned cycle and whenever products, services, suppliers, manufacturing sites, legal requirements, harmonised standards, test methods, incidents, customer commitments or market access assumptions change. High-risk products and regulated services should also be reviewed after complaints, field failures or regulator guidance.
Official Documentation
Official PDF for EN 378
Official publication or summary for EN 378
Official online resource
CEN/CENELEC (European Standardization) guidance and reference material
Implementation toolkit
Templates, guidance, or companion resources for EN 378