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Hoshizaki to Substantially Expand Its Lineup of Products Using Low-Environmental-Impact Natural Refrigerants
Contributing to Reduced Emissions of Global Warming Gases in Customers’ Value Chains
HOSHIZAKI CORPORATION (Head office: Toyoake City, Aichi; President & COO: Yasuhiro Kobayashi; hereafter “Hoshizaki”) will expand its lineup of products that use HFC-free low-environmental-impact natural refrigerants.1 In addition to standard commercial refrigerators and some ice maker models and other refrigerators that have already been transitioned to natural refrigerants, Hoshizaki will upgrade 66 models in four product lines including cubelet ice makers, converting them to natural refrigerants. It will start selling the upgraded models successively from mid-December 2025 through its 15 sales companies nationwide.
As an industry leader, Hoshizaki will continue to drive use within the Japanese market of natural refrigerants that are used increasingly worldwide and to pursue globally competitive product development. In so doing, it aims to better serve its customers that are working to reduce emissions of gases that cause global warming and mitigate environmental impact throughout their value chains.
From left: Cubelet ice maker, cube ice maker, undercounter high-humidity refrigerator, glass door refrigerator/freezer (sliding-door type)
■ Transition to Natural Refrigerants Cuts GWP by More Than 99%
Hoshizaki’s previous models of the products announced in this press release used the HFC R-134a or R-404A as their refrigerant gas. Their global warming potential (GWP) values—which indicate their impact on global warming compared to that of carbon dioxide—are 1430 (R-134a) and 3920 (R-404A). The HFC-free natural refrigerants used in the new products are isobutane (R-600a) and propane (R-290), and their GWP values are <1 (less than 1) and 0.02, respectively.2 Compared to the previous models, GWP has been cut by more than 99%, substantially reducing the impact on global warming.
■ New, Upgraded Products
1.
- ● Product Overview: These are ice makers and a dispenser using the “auger” ice-making method whereby water is sprayed onto the cold interior of a cylinder and the ice that forms on the cylinder walls is shaved off by rotating blades inside the cylinder, then compacted. This method can produce a large volume of ice in a short time. Cubelet ice comprises small pieces of ice in the form of fan-shaped slices and is used for a wide range of purposes including in drinks and in ice beds used to display food. Flake ice is irregularly shaped and is even smaller than cubelet ice. It fits into small spaces, cooling food or anything else quickly. The dispenser serves both ice and water from a single unit.
- ● Refrigerants Used (GWP):
New models: Propane R-290 (0.02)
Previous models: HFC R-404A (3920) or R-134a (1430) - ● Improvement(s) to Upgraded Products:
- ・Ice makers: Hoshizaki changed the top of the cabinet door to include a handle that prevents dust or water drops from entering the cabinet.
-
● Product Launch Lineup:
Category No. of models Daily ice making capacity Type3 Cubelet ice maker 6 60 kg–300 kg Undercounter & modular Flake ice maker 3 120 kg–340 kg Undercounter & modular Cubelet ice dispenser 16 70 kg & 115 kg Dispenser - ● Price (Representative models only):
Category Model Daily ice making capacity Dimensions(W x D x H in mm) Standard price (excl. tax) Cubelet ice maker CM-100M 100 kg 600 x 600 x 800 1,145,000 JPY Flake ice maker FM-120M 120 kg 600 x 600 x 800 1,043,000 JPY Cubelet ice dispenser DCM-115M 115 kg 350 x 585 x 815 1,183,000 JPY - ● On Sale From: Mid-December 2025
2.
- ● Product Overview: The cube ice maker produces transparent ice that is close to cube-shaped and approximately 3 cm in size for use in drinks including juice, water, iced coffee, and alcoholic drinks with mixers.
- ● Refrigerants Used (GWP):
New model: Propane R-290 (0.02)
Previous model: HFC R-404A (3920) - ● Improvement(s) to Upgraded Products:
- ・ Hoshizaki changed the design to include a detachable filter, making cleaning easier.
- ● Product Launch Lineup and Price:
No. of models Model Daily ice making capacity Type3 External dimensions
(W x D x H in mm)Standard price
(excl. tax)1 IM-230P 230 kg Self-contained 700 x 670 x 1590 1,540,000 JPY - ● On Sale From: January 19, 2026
3.
- ● Product Overview: Unlike regular refrigerators, which circulate cold air (creating an air flow), these refrigerators employ a four-wall cooling method whereby the entire surface of four walls (excluding the front wall and the top wall) cools the cabinet’s interior without using air flow. This makes it possible to stabilize the cabinet’s core temperature to within 2 kelvins4 (2℃) of the set temperature while also maintaining high humidity. The refrigerators preserve the flavor of ingredients and cooked foods by reducing deterioration in their cellular structure due to changes in temperature, as well as drying out and oxidation due to air flow.
- ● Refrigerants Used (GWP):
New models: Isobutane R-600a (<1)
Previous models: HFC R-134a (1430) - ● Improvement(s) to Upgraded Products:
- ・ For this series, Hoshizaki used inverters in all models for the first time, significantly improving energy efficiency.
- ・ The cooling structure inside the cabinet was changed, eliminating the top panel that prevents condensation droplets from falling. As a result, the rating for internal volume was increased by 2% to 5%, while retaining the same external dimensions and cooling performance, compared with existing products.
- ● Product Launch Lineup:
No. of models Width Depth 28 900mm–2100mm Thin/thick - ● Price (Representative models only):
Model External dimensions
(W x D x H in mm)Standard price
(excl. tax)CT-120SNJ 1500 × 600 × 800 1,112,000 JPY - ● On Sale From: Mid-December 2025
4.
- ● Product Overview: These are refrigerators or freezers with transparent glass doors that make the contents visible. The doors slide sideways, allowing these products to be used even in locations where there is no space for doors to open forward.
- ● Refrigerants Used (GWP):
New models: Isobutane R-600a (<1)
Previous models: HFC R-134a (1430) - ● Improvement(s) to Upgraded Products:
- ・ Hoshizaki enabled retrofitting of a heater-assisted evaporator pan at the bottom of the product that uses heat to evaporate wastewater. This reduces the effort of dealing with wastewater when the refrigerator’s installation environment causes a large volume of wastewater to be produced.
- ● Product Launch Lineup:
No. of models Width Depth 12 900mm–1200mm Thin/thick - ● Price (Representative models only):
Model External dimensions
(W x D x H in mm)Standard price
(excl. tax)RSC-120F 1200 × 650 × 1890 1,191,000 JPY - ● On Sale From: Mid-January 2026
1. Natural refrigerants refer to substances that exist naturally in the environment and are used as refrigerants for freezing and air conditioning. These eco-friendly refrigerants have an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of zero and a very low global warming potential (GWP).
2. GWP is a value indicating the potential of a greenhouse gas to warm the earth when the value for carbon dioxide (CO2) is set at 1.
Sources for GWP values [GWP values]:
HFCs:
R-134a [1430], R-404A [3920]: Public Notice No. 3 of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ministry of the Environment, 2023
Natural refrigerants:
・ Isobutane (R-600a) [<1]: 2018 Report of the Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Heat Pumps Technical Options Committee (released in February 2019)
・ Propane (R-290) [0.02]: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6; Working Group I contribution, released in August 2021)
・ According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Kigali Fact Sheet 3 (released in 2017), the GWP value for both isobutane (R-600a) and propane (R-290) is 3, while the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2022 (released in October 2022) puts it at <<1 (significantly less than 1).
3.
・ Self-contained: Upright type with an ice storage bin (ice storage and removal) for easy takeout of ice.
・ Undercounter: Type with a height of around 800 mm which has a top that can be used as cooking space.
・ Modular: Ice-making units, sleeves (ice storage), and an ice storage bin (ice storage and removal) can be combined, so this type has a high level of expandability even after being installed.
・ Dispenser: Type of machine that employs buttons and sensors to serve ice and water automatically.
4. Kelvin (K) is one of the seven base units under the International System of Units (SI) and it measures (thermodynamic) temperature. 0℃ is equivalent to 273.15 K and a difference of 1℃ up or down is a difference of 1K in kelvins.
Reference
■Hoshizaki Group’s Initiatives to Transition to Natural Refrigerants
As the Hoshizaki Group shifts from HFC-based to HFC-free models, it is actively adopting natural refrigerants, which are substances that exist naturally in the environment, rather than being produced by humans. The company was among the first in the industry to develop commercial refrigerators using natural refrigerants. It started selling these products overseas in 2009, and in Japan, made-to-order products within Japan in August 2022, then products in the value price range in May 2023. To date, the Hoshizaki Group has launched a cumulative total of 2.38 million5 natural refrigerant products globally. In Japan, Hoshizaki aims to increase the percentage of products using natural refrigerants among its products with a built-in freezing circuit from 46% at the end of fiscal 2024 to 87% at the end of fiscal 2027.
■The Refrigerant Gas Transition Away from HFCs
HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer, but as greenhouse gases, they have an extremely high global warming potential (GWP) ranging from several tens of times to more than ten thousand times that of carbon dioxide (CO2), according to the Ministry of the Environment’s portal site on the Fluorocarbon Emissions Control Act. Therefore, international society at large has shown a growing interest in the shift from HFCs to HFC-free alternatives. In October 2016, the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol held in Kigali, Rwanda, amended the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (which entered into force in January 1989) to make mandatory systemized cuts to the production and consumption of HFCs (the Kigali Amendment). Today, 169 countries (including EU) have ratified, accepted, or approved the Kigali Amendment (according to the United Nations website as of November 11, 2025).
Japan accepted the Kigali Amendment in December 2018. In 2019, Japan added HFCs as specified substances under the Act on the Protection of the Ozone Layer Through the Control of Specified Substances, etc. and Other Measures and revised its Fluorocarbon Emissions Control Act. Furthermore, to achieve the target for reduction of HFC emissions (a 55% reduction by fiscal 2030 compared with fiscal 2013) set in the Plan for Global Warming Countermeasures (the government’s comprehensive plan based on the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures), Japan is promoting implementation of measures throughout the CFCs/HCFCs/HFCs lifecycle, including mitigating the impact that CFCs/HCFCs/HFCs used in products have on the environment.
Worldwide (including Japan) about 100 million6 domestic refrigerators using natural refrigerants are produced annually and it is estimated that there are probably over 800 million6 of these refrigerators in the field to date. It was estimated that in 2020, about 75%6 of new domestic refrigerator production worldwide had converted to using natural refrigerants.
5. The number of units of natural refrigerant products sold globally between 2009 and 2024 (comprising ice makers, refrigerators, sushi fish display cases, and display refrigerators [for storing beverages]).
6. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) RTOC Assessment Report 2022.