Substitutes in Polystyrene: Extruded Sheet
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more. Substitutes are reviewed on the basis of environmental and health risks, including factors such as ozone depletion potential, global warming potential, toxicity, flammability, and exposure potential. Lists of acceptableThis designation means that a substitute may be used, without restriction, to replace the relevant ODS within the end-use specified. For example, HCFC-22 is an acceptable substitute for R-502 in industrial process refrigeration. Note that all SNAP determinations apply to the use of a specific product as a substitute for a specific ODS in a specific end-use. and UnacceptableThis designation means that it is illegal to use a product as a substitute for an ODS in a specific end-use. For example, HCFC-141b is an unacceptable substitute for CFC-11 in building chillers. Note that all SNAP determinations apply to the use of a specific product as a substitute for a specific ODS in a specific end-use. substitutes are updated several times each year. The list of substitutes is shown below.
Many acceptable substitutes under SNAP may be restricted under the Technology Transitions Program. For more information on Technology Transitions Program restrictions, visit: https://www.epa.gov/climate-hfcs-reduction/technology-transitions-program
Note: SNAP-related information published in the Federal Register takes precedence over all information on this page.
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| Substitute | Trade Name(s) | ODPA number that refers to the amount of ozone depletion caused by a substance. The ODP is the ratio of the impact on ozone of a chemical compared to the impact of a similar mass of CFC-11. Thus, the ODP of CFC-11 is defined to be 1.0. Other CFCs and HCFCs have ODPs that range from 0.01 to 1.0. The halons have ODPs ranging up to 10. Carbon tetrachloride has an ODP of 1.2, and methyl chloroform's ODP is 0.11. HFCs have zero ODP because they do not contain chlorine. A table of all ozone-depleting substances (http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/ods/index.html) shows their ODPs, GWPs, and CAS numbers. | GWPThe index used to translate the level of emissions of various gases into a common measure in order to compare the relative radiative forcing of different gases without directly calculating the changes in atmospheric concentrations. GWPs are calculated as the ratio of the radiative forcing that would result from the emissions of one kilogram of a greenhouse gas to that from the emission of one kilogram of carbon dioxide over a period of time (usually 100 years). Gases involved in complex atmospheric chemical processes have not been assigned GWPs. See lifetime. | Flammable | SNAP Listing Date | Listing Status[1] | Further Information |
| Carbon Dioxide | 0 | 1 | no | March 18, 1994; June 8, 1999 |
Acceptable | ||
| Methyl Formate | EcomateTM | 0 | 5 or less | yes | September 28, 2006 | Acceptable | |
| Electroset Technology | 0 | N/A | N/A | August 26, 1994; June 16, 2010 |
Acceptable | ||
| Exxsol Blowing Agents | Exxsol Blowing Agents | 0 | 5 or less | yes | December 6, 1999; June 16, 2010 |
Acceptable | |
| Formacel® TI | Formacel® TI | 0 | 1,330 - 1,500 | no | September 30, 2009; July 20, 2015; December 1, 2016 |
Unacceptable, except where allowed under narrowed use limits for military or space- and aeronautics-related applications, as of January 1, 2017. Unacceptable for military applications as of January 1, 2022 and for space- and aeronautics-related applications as of January 1, 2025. |
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| Formacel® Z-6 | Formacel® Z-6 | 0 | 370 - 1,290 | N/A[2] | August 10, 2012; July 20, 2015; December 1, 2016 |
Unacceptable, except where allowed under narrowed use limits for military or space- and aeronautics-related applications, as of January 1, 2017. Unacceptable for military applications as of January 1, 2022 and for space- and aeronautics-related applications as of January 1, 2025. |
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| HCFC-124 | 0.022 | 609 | no | July 22, 2002 | Unacceptable | Alternatives exist with lower or zero ODP. | |
| HCFC-141b | 0.12 | 725 | no | September 30, 2004; July 20, 2015 |
Unacceptable | Alternatives exist with lower or zero ODP. | |
| HFC-134a | 0 | 1,430 | no | March 18, 1994; June 8, 1999; July 20, 2015; December 1, 2016 |
Unacceptable, except where allowed under narrowed use limits for military or space- and aeronautics-related applications, as of January 1, 2017. Unacceptable for military applications as of January 1, 2022 and for space- and aeronautics-related applications as of January 1, 2025. |
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| HFC-152a | 0 | 124 | yes | March 18, 1994; June 8, 1999 |
Acceptable | ||
| HFC-245fa | 0 | 1,030 | no | December 6, 1999; July 20, 2015; December 1, 2016 |
Unacceptable, except where allowed under narrowed use limits for military or space- and aeronautics-related applications, as of January 1, 2017. Unacceptable for military applications as of January 1, 2022 and for space- and aeronautics-related applications as of January 1, 2025. |
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| HFC-365mfc | 0 | 794 | yes | September 30, 2009; June 16, 2010; July 20, 2015; December 1, 2016 |
Unacceptable, except where allowed under narrowed use limits for military or space- and aeronautics-related applications, as of January 1, 2017. Unacceptable for military applications as of January 1, 2022 and for space- and aeronautics-related applications as of January 1, 2025. |
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| Saturated Light Hydrocarbons (C3-C6) | 0 | 3 - 10 | yes | March 18, 1994; April 11, 2000; June 16, 2010 |
Acceptable | ||
| TranscendTM Technologies | TranscendTM Technologies | 0 | 5 or less | yes[3] | March 29, 2006 | Acceptable as an additive to SNAP-approved blowing agents in blends making up to 5% by weight of the total foam formulation. | |
| Water | 0 | N/A | no | June 8, 1999 | Acceptable |
1 Use of closed cell foam products and products that contain closed cell foam manufactured with an Unacceptable foam blowing agent prohibited on or before the later of: 1) December 1, 2017, or 2) the date when the foam blowing agent is Unacceptable.
2 Some components and some blends are flammable.
3 When blended with fire retardant and/or other SNAP-approved alternatives, the flammability of TranscendTM Technologies can be reduced to make a formulation that is either combustible or non-flammable (contact the manufacturer of TranscendTM Technologies for more information).