On July 2, 2025, the China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS) published more information on the eyeball attracting of national standard GB 12021.2—2025 Maximum allowable values of energy consumption and energy efficiency grade for household refrigerating appliance.

GB 12021.2—2025 is a national mandatory standard drafted by SAC/TC20/SC4 (Electricity Utilization). It is approved and published by the National Standardization Administration of China (SAC) on May 30, 2025, and will come into effect on June 1, 2026. Once implemented, this national standard will replace the currently effective GB 12021.2-2015.

According to CNIS, the purpose of revising GB 12021.2 is based on following considerations:

-   China has over 500 million refrigerators in use and sells more than 60 million units annually, making it one of the most frequently used household appliances in the country.

-   To meet the diverse dietary and healthy living needs of the people

-   It is considered as a key task in practicing energy-saving concepts and achieving green and sustainable refrigeration.

-   Supports China's equipment renewal and consumer goods upgrade policies.

This update is the fifth revision of the energy efficiency standard for household refrigerators since its first formulation in 1989. This revision, namely GB 12021.2-2025, further expands the scope of application, covering motor-driven compressor household refrigerators and semiconductor refrigeration appliances with a volume of 60 liters or less. The different grades of the newly revised standard are represents:

-   Grade 1: The most energy-efficient, representing the international leading grade;

-   Grade 2: The entry grade for energy-efficient products, and it is the grade that is highly recommended by national policy for consumers to purchase (together with grade 1 products);

-   Grade 3 and grade 4: Representing the average grade of the market;

-   Grade 5: The threshold for market entry. Products that do not meet the entry threshold cannot be sold on the market.

According to CNIS experts, the energy consumption index stipulated in GB 12021.2-2025 has increased by approximately 30% to 40%. Particularly, the requirements for energy efficiency grades and the threshold for power consumption limits shall  be raised for mainstream products when they are implemented, and greatly reducing the power consumption of refrigerators. Meanwhile, the Standard has added requirements for the response capability to smart grid signals in the purpose of guiding the intelligent and green development of refrigerators.

Foreign stakeholders are advised to keep up with the standard change, especially for relevant market access requirement changes that shall take place due to the implementation of GB 12021.2—2025. It is also worth noting that, due to the fact that China’s output of refrigerator has accounted for over 70% of that in the world's total output, and the export volume of products is large, therefore a project is also approved by SAC to draft an official English version for  GB 12021.2—2025, which will facilitate foreign stakeholders in regards of compliance.

BESTAO presents free monthly report on China compliance. It offers a comprehensive solution on observing various standards and regulatory activities in China. Sample of the monthly report please refer to: https://www.bestao-consulting.com/detail?id=1740&status=bestao_library

Subscribe the free monthly report by register as a BESTAO website member at: https://www.bestao-consulting.com/login, or write an email to assistant@bestao-consulting.com.