Price Adjustment in China Air-conditiong Market

In February, China’s central air conditioning market saw a wave of price hike notices, marking the full-scale rollout of an industry-wide price adjustment that began in 2026. Major brands generally increased prices by 3% to 10%, triggering a collective wave of price adjustments across the industry.

The core driver behind this round of price hikes is the surging cost of key raw materials for central air conditioners. As a vital raw material of HVAC industry, copper prices has increased by more than 30% in 2025 and have now exceeded 14,000 USD per ton, directly pushing up manufacturing costs of core components such as compressors and connecting pipes.

Aluminum prices have also remained high for a long time. Coupled with performance drawbacks such as poor corrosion resistance and insufficient long-term stability, frequent issues like refrigerant leakage and cooling failure occur in practical applications, making it far from an ideal alternative to copper.

This industry-wide price adjustment is essentially forcing the industry to seek change – to find a more stable solution that balances both performance and cost. At this stage, Cu-Ni Alloy Tubes provide a high-quality piping solution for the air conditioning industry, becoming a game-changer for the HVAC industry to solve the dilemma between cost and performance.

01  Chemical Performance: More Durable with Corrosion and Oxidation Resistance

Cu-Ni Alloy Tube features outstanding corrosion resistance, with strong acid-alkali resistance and oxidation resistance. It can maintain stable performance even in harsh environments such as humid areas and coastal high-salt spray regions. Cu-Ni Alloy Tube has passed a 1680-hour neutral salt spray test, equivalent to a 70-year service life under natural conditions.

In contrast, copper tubes are prone to verdigris and corrode rapidly in coastal salt spray zones, chemical areas, and humid southern regions, shortening their service life. Therefore, Cu-Ni Refrigerant Lines is more durable and has a longer service life, resulting in lower long-term replacement and maintenance costs.

02  Mechanical Performance: Higher Pressure Resistance for Safer Use

Cu-Ni Alloy Tubes have high strength, strong impact resistance, and good deformation resistance, making them less prone to damage during transportation and installation. Their burst pressure can reach over 29MPa, significantly higher than that of copper tubes, making them safer and more reliable to use as the air-conditioning refrigerant linesets to connect the indoor and outdoor units.

03  Thermal Performance: Enhanced Heat Exchange Efficiency for Energy Saving

The thermal conductivity of Cu-Ni Alloy Tube is only 1/20 that of copper. The refrigerant flow rate can be increased by nearly 20% compared with copper tubes of the same specification, optimizing the heat exchange efficiency of air conditioners. When used as air conditioning refrigerant lines which connecting the indoor and outdoor units (without participating in heat exchange), Cu-Ni Alloy Tubes save 4.2% more energy than copper tubes.

When comes to the heat exchange part, methods such as reducing wall thickness and using internally grooved tubes can also significantly enhance the heat exchange efficiency of Cu-Ni Alloy Tubes when using as the condenser coil/condenser coil for heat exchange components.

04  Installation & Construction: Compatible with Existing Processes for Seamless Switching

The installation and construction of Cu-Ni Refrigerant Lines are compatible with the existing process systems in the HVAC industry. A smooth transition from copper tubes to Cu-Ni alloy tubes can be achieved without the need for additional training.

• Flareable: Fully compatible with existing flaring processes and tools, no replacement of accessories required.

• Bendable: Small-diameter Cu-Ni Alloy Tubes can be bent manually; large-diameter tubes can be processed with standard pipe benders.

• Connectable: Supports three connection methods of flame brazing, flameless welding and high-frequency welding, meeting diverse on-site construction needs.

Soaring copper prices have rendered the traditional price-war strategy untenable, compelling the central air conditioning industry to pivot back to the fundamentals of product strength and quality. The emergence of Cu-Ni Alloy Tubes is not just a result of technological advancement; it signals a fundamental shift in the industry—moving from volume-driven growth to quality-led competition.

For distributors, choosing the right piping means choosing future competitiveness. For users, making one choice that ensures long-term peace of mind is the true “king of cost performance.”

Gofar New Material, with its long-standing expertise in the new materials sector, is dedicated to offering clients worldwide high-quality, high-performance, and cost-efficient solutions. The introduction of our Cu-Ni Air-conditioning Refrigerant Pipe Lines represents the newest milestone in this ongoing commitment. Backed by its outstanding performance and reliable quality, we are confident that this Cu-Ni Air-conditioning Refrigerant Pipe Linesets will provide enhanced economic operation, improved system efficiency, a longer lifespan, and increased reliability. We firmly believe that this Cu-Ni Air-conditioning Refrigerant Pipe Line Solution will empower our customers in HVAC industry , help them forge sustainable competitive advantages and create greater value for customers!

For customers looking for new Air-conditioning Refrigerant Pipe Line, Gofar is here to help.