EPA 608 Type II certification

Covers three of the four pressure classes: medium (45 to 170 psia at 104 °F), high (170 to 355 psia), and very high (above 355 psia, or a critical temperature below 104 °F).

What the rule says

"Persons who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of medium-, high-, or very high-pressure appliances (except small appliances, MVACs, and MVAC-like appliances) must be certified as Type II technicians."

Equipment this applies to

• Residential split systems and heat pumps (R-410A, R-22). R-410A and R-22 are high-pressure refrigerants, and the equipment is not factory-sealed at 5 lb or less.
• Commercial rooftop units. High-pressure appliance above the small appliance threshold.
• Supermarket or cold storage refrigeration. High-pressure appliance, field-charged.
• Field-charged R-134a equipment, not factory-sealed (chillers, transport, process). R-134a is medium-pressure, and Type II covers medium as well as high and very high. Note the "not factory-sealed" part: a sealed R-134a unit holding 5 lb or less, such as a household fridge or a vending machine, is a small appliance and therefore Type I instead.
• Ultra-low-temperature or cascade systems (R-23, R-508). Very high-pressure appliances fall under Type II, provided the unit is not a factory-sealed small appliance.

Also typically: Residential split systems and heat pumps (R-410A, R-22) · Commercial rooftop units · Supermarket and cold storage refrigeration · Process refrigeration · Ultra-low-temperature and cascade systems (R-23, R-508)

The pressure class behind it

Commonly called "the high-pressure one," which undersells it. R-134a is a medium-pressure refrigerant and medium-pressure appliances are Type II as well.

What the exam actually covers

Every path includes the Core section, which is 54 distinct topics in our bank across 93 questions. Then you add the section for your type. The breakdown below is the topic distribution of our own question bank, mapped to the published outline, so it shows where the weight of the material sits rather than guessing.

Core (Group I), 54 topics

Montreal caa 5Odp chlorine 5Ozone chemistry 4Phaseout schedule 4Pt charts 4Superheat subcool 4Vc cycle states 4Certification types 3Industry outlook 3Sales restriction 3Three rs definitions 3608 vs 609 2Evacuation dehydration 2Non condensables 2Ozone effects 2Recordkeeping 2Vc cycle components 2Venting exceptions 2Venting prohibition 2Apprentice supervision 1Disposal 1Evacuation purpose 1Evacuation vacuum measurement 1Exempt substitutes 1

Type II: High-Pressure Systems, 38 topics

Evac levels table 9Leak detection methods 4Recovery speed 4Cylinder safety 3Leak inspection requirements 3Leak rate calculation 3Leaky appliance exception 3Push pull 3Appliance categories 2Ashrae 15 2Compressor oils 2Evacuation levels 2Leak rate triggers 2Liquid vs vapor 2Non major repair exception 2Retrofit 2Accumulator 1Applicability threshold 1Chronic leak reporting 1Cycle components 1Gauge manifold 1Hp appliance definition 1Hp appliance examples 1Hp definition 1

Practice it

Drill the Type II section free, and anything you miss goes into your notebook so you can come back to exactly the questions that caught you out.

Before you book

• Where to take the exam: all 87 EPA-approved organisations, 15 of which test remotely or online.
• What score you actually need, and why the widely quoted 72 percent is not what the regulation says.
• Still not sure which type? The chooser works it out from the equipment you service.

One thing that can change the answer

The regulation says plainly that "persons who dispose of small appliances, MVACs, and MVAC-like appliances are not required to be certified." Disposal of medium, high, very high or low-pressure appliances still requires the matching type. So the same person can need certification to service a unit and not need it to scrap a different one.

Sources

Certification types and what each authorises: 40 CFR 82.161. Equipment and pressure-class definitions: 40 CFR 82.152. Exam structure and passing scores: 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Appendix D. Topic counts are from this site's own question bank, mapped to the published outline. Verified 2026-08-15.