GMCC KSF230N1VKTB R32 Air Conditioning Compressor
GMCC KSF230N1VKTB R32 Air Conditioning Compressor: Technical Data, Performance and Selection Guide
The GMCC KSF230N1VKTB is an R32 fixed-frequency single-cylinder hermetic rotary compressor rated at 8,700 W, which is 29,684 Btu/h, for 1,995 W of input power on a 1-phase 60 Hz 208 to 230 V supply. Its displacement is 23.0 cm³/rev, its catalogue coefficient of performance is 4.36, and its run capacitor is 55/400 microfarad per volt.
Author: AUTHOR_NAME, AUTHOR_JOB_TITLE. Reviewed against the GMCC Rotary Compressor Product Manual 2024. Published YYYY-MM-DD. Updated 2026-09-24.
What is the GMCC KSF230N1VKTB?
The KSF230N1VKTB is the largest-displacement model in GMCC's KSF compressor family, and the only KSF row in the manufacturer's current product manual above 21.5 cm³/rev. It is a single-cylinder, fixed-frequency rotary compressor for R32, which places it in the air-conditioning mainstream rather than in a specialist refrigeration group. It is listed in the manufacturer's product manual in the group headed 1-phase 60 Hz 208 to 230 V with the test condition GX, alongside eight other models spanning 6.6 to 28.0 cm³/rev. On this site it sits under the GMCC rotary compressor range, which is itself part of the wider rotary compressor category covering both air conditioning and refrigeration duty.
| Attribute | Value for KSF230N1VKTB | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerant | R32 | Manufacturer manual, group heading R32 over the 1-phase 60 Hz 208 to 230 V table |
| Family designation | KSF | Manufacturer manual, model string position 3 |
| Structure | Single cylinder, hermetic rotary | Manufacturer manual naming legend, S means Single cylinder |
| Motor type | Fixed frequency, line start | Manufacturer manual, power code N is a fixed-frequency 60 Hz code; the legend reserves D for DC inverter and B for AC inverter |
| Displacement | 23.0 cm³/rev | Manufacturer manual, data row |
| Cooling capacity | 8,700 W | Manufacturer manual, data row |
| Cooling capacity, imperial | 29,684 Btu/h | Manufacturer manual, data row; equals 8,700 multiplied by 3.412 |
| Input power | 1,995 W | Manufacturer manual, data row |
| Catalogue coefficient of performance | 4.36 W/W | Manufacturer manual, data row; equals 8,700 divided by 1,995, which is 4.3609 |
| Run capacitor | 55/400 microfarad per volt | Manufacturer manual, data row |
| Overall height | 314 mm | Manufacturer manual, data row |
| Suction connection | 8.1 mm | Manufacturer manual, data row |
| Discharge connection | 12.9 mm | Manufacturer manual, data row |
| Supply | 1-phase, 60 Hz, 208 to 230 V | Manufacturer manual, group heading |
| Rating condition | Test condition GX | Manufacturer manual, group heading |
| Mass, oil charge, running speed, locked rotor current | Not printed for this row | The manufacturer's group table does not carry these fields, so none is quoted here |
The table above is deliberately narrow. Everything in it comes from a single manufacturer table row and the group heading printed above that row, with the two derived figures shown together with the arithmetic that produces them. Anything the manufacturer does not print for this part number is listed as not printed rather than filled in from a catalogue value taken at a different test condition. That distinction matters, because compressor capacity figures are only comparable when the test condition behind them matches, and this model's figures carry the GX condition rather than the SEER60 condition that appears elsewhere in the same document and on most seller listings for this family.
Technical specifications and what each number is based on
A specification table is only useful if every line says where it came from, because compressor data sheets mix nameplate values, catalogue ratings and test-bench results without always labelling which is which. The table below states, for each attribute, whether the figure is printed in the manufacturer's table for this exact part number or whether it is derived from the printed figures by an arithmetic identity. Nothing in the table is carried over from a sibling model.
| Attribute | Value | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Displacement | 23.0 cm³/rev | Printed, this part number |
| Cooling capacity | 8,700 W | Printed, this part number |
| Cooling capacity in Btu/h | 29,684 | Printed, this part number, and independently reproduced by 8,700 x 3.412 = 29,684.4 |
| Input power | 1,995 W | Printed, this part number |
| Coefficient of performance | 4.36 | Printed, this part number, and independently reproduced by 8,700 / 1,995 = 4.361 |
| Run capacitor | 55/400 microfarad per volt | Printed, this part number |
| Overall height | 314 mm | Printed, this part number |
| Suction line diameter | 8.1 mm | Printed, this part number |
| Discharge line diameter | 12.9 mm | Printed, this part number |
| Refrigerant | R32 | Printed, group heading |
| Supply and frequency | 1-phase, 60 Hz, 208 to 230 V | Printed, group heading |
| Test condition | GX | Printed, group heading |
| Sound power level | Not printed | Absent from the group table |
| Mass, oil charge | Not printed | Absent from the group table |
| Running speed, locked rotor current | Not printed | Absent from the group table |
| Capacity at conditions other than GX | Not printed | A performance map is a separate document |
The two arithmetic identities in that table are the reason the row can be trusted as a coherent set rather than as four numbers that happen to sit next to each other. The manufacturer prints capacity in watts and in British thermal units per hour in two separate columns, and the printed pair agrees with the standard conversion factor to within the rounding of the printed values. The same row prints capacity and input in two further columns, and dividing one by the other reproduces the printed coefficient of performance to two decimal places. A transcription error in any one of the four columns would break one of those two identities. The same audit was run across every model in the group and across the whole KSF family; the results are recorded in the verification notes at the end of this guide, including the one row in the group that fails the capacity conversion and therefore must not be quoted.
How to read the KSF230N1VKTB model number
The model string is not a random identifier. GMCC publishes a naming legend in the same product manual, and the parts of the string that the legend covers can be decoded and then checked against data the manufacturer prints elsewhere. The table below separates what the legend defines from what it does not.
| String segment | Legend definition | Applies to KSF230N1VKTB | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| K, position 1 | Refrigerant R32 or R410A | The row sits in the R32 group | Decoded, and corroborated by the group heading |
| S, position 2 | Structure change, single cylinder | Single-cylinder rotary compressor | Decoded |
| F, position 3 | Not defined by either published legend | Family designation | Not decoded, treated as a family label only |
| 230, positions 4 and 5 | Displacement multiplied by 10 | 23.0 cm³/rev, which is exactly the displacement the row prints | Decoded, and corroborated by the printed displacement |
| N, position 6 | 1-phase 60 Hz 208/220/230 V | The row sits in the group headed 1-phase 60 Hz 208 to 230 V | Decoded, and corroborated by the group heading |
| 1VKTB, remainder | Not defined by either published legend | Suffix covering revision, envelope and specification variants | Not decoded |
The power code is the most useful segment to verify, because it can be tested against output the manufacturer never intended as a naming check. Thirteen GMCC compressor product pages on this site print both the model number and the electrical supply, so the letter in the power position of the model string can be compared with the supply the same page states for that unit. The comparison holds on all thirteen rows.
| Model | Power code letter | Legend definition of that letter | Supply printed on the same product page | Agreement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSG230V1UKU | V | 1-phase 50 Hz 220/230/240 V | 220 to 240 V, 50 Hz, 1-phase | Agrees |
| KSG250V1VMT | V | 1-phase 50 Hz 220/230/240 V | 220 to 240 V, 50 Hz, 1-phase | Agrees |
| KSG289V1VMU | V | 1-phase 50 Hz 220/230/240 V | 220 to 240 V, 50 Hz, 1-phase | Agrees |
| KSG210S1VMP | S | 1-phase 50 Hz 230 V | 230 V, 50 Hz, 1-phase | Agrees |
| KSG186V1VKU | V | 1-phase 50 Hz 220/230/240 V | 220 to 240 V, 50 Hz, 1-phase | Agrees |
| KSG196V1VKU | V | 1-phase 50 Hz 220/230/240 V | 220 to 240 V, 50 Hz, 1-phase | Agrees |
| KSM125V1VFT | V | 1-phase 50 Hz 220/230/240 V | 220 to 240 V, 50 Hz, 1-phase | Agrees |
| KSM135V1VFT | V | 1-phase 50 Hz 220/230/240 V | 220 to 240 V, 50 Hz, 1-phase | Agrees |
| KSM89V1VDZ | V | 1-phase 50 Hz 220/230/240 V | 220 to 240 V, 50 Hz, 1-phase | Agrees |
| KSN108D22UFZ | D | DC inverter | DC inverter | Agrees |
| KSN98D22UFZ | D | DC inverter | DC inverter | Agrees |
| KSK89D59UEZC | D | DC inverter | DC inverter | Agrees |
| KSK75D43UEZA | D | DC inverter | DC inverter | Agrees |
Two consequences follow from that table. First, the same letter position that carries N in KSF230N1VKTB carries E in the 60 Hz 115 V groups, N in the 60 Hz 208 to 230 V groups and V in the 50 Hz 220 to 240 V group elsewhere in the manual, which is exactly how the legend defines those four codes, so the segment is being read in the right place. Second, the letters D, N, S and V are not decoration: they separate a compressor that needs a variable-frequency drive from one that starts across the line, and they separate a 60 Hz part from a 50 Hz part. A buyer who reads only the displacement block and the family letter can order the wrong electrical variant, because the same displacement appears in several power codes within one document.
Two limits on this decode should be stated. The suffix 1VKTB and the family letter F are not defined by either of the two naming legends the manufacturer publishes, so no meaning is assigned to them here, and the displacement block returns the nominal figure rather than a guaranteed measured one. Three of the thirteen product pages above show a small divergence between the nominal displacement implied by the digits and the displacement the page states as delivered, which is consistent with the revision markers the manufacturer prints beside some rows in the same table rather than with an error in the code.
Where the KSF230N1VKTB sits in GMCC's 208 to 230 V R32 range
The group in which the manufacturer lists this model contains nine rows. Reading them as a set shows what the 23.0 cm³/rev displacement slot buys relative to its neighbours, and it also shows which neighbours share the electrical basis, because a capacity figure from a row under a different test condition is not a valid comparison.
| Typical model | Displacement cm³/rev | Capacity W | Capacity Btu/h | Input W | Coefficient of performance | Run capacitor | Height mm | Suction mm | Discharge mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSN66N11VEZB1 | 6.6 | 2,380 | 8,120 | 588 | 4.05 | 20/370 | 250 | 8.1 | 9.8 |
| KSN82N13VDZB1 | 8.2 | 2,975 | 10,045 | 706 | 4.21 | 20/400 | 250 | 8.1 | 9.8 |
| KSF150N1VETB3 | 15.0 | 5,565 | 18,988 | 1,260 | 4.42 | 50/400 | 314 | 8.1 | 12.9 |
| KSF155N2VETB3 | 15.5 | 5,765 | 19,670 | 1,310 | 4.40 | 50/400 | 314 | 8.1 | 12.9 |
| KSF160N1VET | 16.0 | 6,075 | 20,728 | 1,380 | 4.40 | 45/370 | 314 | 8.1 | 12.9 |
| KSF230N1VKTB | 23.0 | 8,700 | 29,684 | 1,995 | 4.36 | 55/400 | 314 | 8.1 | 12.9 |
| KSG230N1VMT | 22.9 | 8,525 | 29,087 | 1,930 | 4.42 | 60/400 | 310 | 9.8 | 16.2 |
| KSG280N1VMT | 27.9 | 10,625 | 36,253 | 2,395 | 4.44 | 60/400 | 340 | 9.8 | 16.2 |
| KSQ280N1VMT | 28.0 | 10,390 | 35,451 | 2,350 | 4.42 | 60/400 | 380 | 9.8 | 16.2 |
One figure in that table is reproduced exactly as the manufacturer prints it and is not used as evidence anywhere in this guide. The imperial capacity shown for KSN82N13VDZB1 does not agree with that row's own wattage at the standard conversion factor, and the divergence is recorded in the verification note at the end. All nine rows otherwise sit under one group heading, 1-phase 60 Hz 208 to 230 V with test condition GX, so the capacity column is comparable across the whole table and no row needs a caveat about its basis. The row for this model is set in bold. Within this group the KSF designation covers four displacements, 15.0, 15.5, 16.0 and 23.0 cm³/rev, and KSF230N1VKTB is the largest of them by a wide margin. The three rows above it in capacity carry larger displacements and belong to the KSG and KSQ families, which in this group run from 22.9 to 28.0 cm³/rev and use a wider connection pair of 9.8 mm suction and 16.2 mm discharge.
The comparison that a designer will actually want is the one at practically the same displacement, because that is the slot where two alternatives exist inside one group. KSG230N1VMT is listed at 22.9 cm³/rev against this model's 23.0, a difference of one tenth of a cubic centimetre per revolution, which is small enough to treat the two as the same displacement class and large enough that the manufacturer assigns them different family letters and different mechanical envelopes.
KSF230N1VKTB against KSG230N1VMT at the same displacement
| Attribute | KSF230N1VKTB | KSG230N1VMT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Displacement | 23.0 cm³/rev | 22.9 cm³/rev | 0.1 cm³/rev |
| Capacity | 8,700 W | 8,525 W | 175 W, which is 2.05 percent more |
| Input power | 1,995 W | 1,930 W | 65 W, which is 3.37 percent more |
| Catalogue coefficient of performance | 4.36 | 4.42 | 0.06 lower, which is 1.36 percent lower |
| Capacity per unit displacement | 378.3 W per cm³/rev | 372.3 W per cm³/rev | 1.61 percent higher |
| Input per unit displacement | 86.7 W per cm³/rev | 84.3 W per cm³/rev | 2.92 percent higher |
| Run capacitor | 55/400 microfarad per volt | 60/400 microfarad per volt | Different capacitor required |
| Overall height | 314 mm | 310 mm | 4 mm taller |
| Suction connection | 8.1 mm | 9.8 mm | 1.7 mm smaller |
| Discharge connection | 12.9 mm | 16.2 mm | 3.3 mm smaller |
| Test condition | GX | GX | Same condition, so the comparison is valid |
The capacity-for-efficiency trade in that table is the substance of the choice. At the same swept volume the KSF row returns 175 W more cooling, which is 2.05 percent, and it pays for that with 65 W more input, which is 3.37 percent, so the coefficient of performance falls from 4.42 to 4.36. Expressed per unit of displacement the pattern is the same: the KSF row extracts 1.61 percent more capacity from each cubic centimetre per revolution and consumes 2.92 percent more power to do it. A designer whose constraint is delivered capacity at a fixed envelope will prefer the KSF row, and a designer whose constraint is the seasonal efficiency of the finished unit, or the size of the electrical supply feeding it, will prefer the KSG row.
The mechanical differences are the part that is easy to miss and expensive to discover late. The two rows share a displacement class but not a chassis: the KSF row is 4 mm taller and, more significantly, its suction and discharge connections are 1.7 mm and 3.3 mm smaller respectively. Those are not interchangeable line sizes. A substitution between these two part numbers therefore changes the pipe work, the brazing procedure and possibly the correct charge, in addition to changing the run capacitor from 55/400 to 60/400 microfarad per volt. Treating the pair as a drop-in alternative because the displacement figures are within a tenth of a cubic centimetre per revolution would be a mistake, and the same caution applies to any substitution inside this family.
Does the KSF ladder cover the gap between 16.0 and 23.0 cm³/rev?
It does not, and this is the finding that most affects a specification decision. Within the 1-phase 60 Hz 208 to 230 V group, the KSF designation appears at four displacements only, and the step from the last of the small rows to this model is a jump of 43.8 percent in swept volume with nothing offered in between.
| Typical model | Displacement cm³/rev | Capacity W | Input W | Coefficient of performance | Height mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSF150N1VETB3 | 15.0 | 5,565 | 1,260 | 4.42 | 314 |
| KSF155N2VETB3 | 15.5 | 5,765 | 1,310 | 4.40 | 314 |
| KSF160N1VET | 16.0 | 6,075 | 1,380 | 4.40 | 314 |
| KSF230N1VKTB | 23.0 | 8,700 | 1,995 | 4.36 | 314 |
The gaps between the stages quantify the problem. From 15.0 to 15.5 cm³/rev is an increase of 3.3 percent in displacement and 3.6 percent in capacity. From 15.5 to 16.0 is 3.2 percent in displacement and 5.4 percent in capacity. From 16.0 to 23.0 is 43.8 percent in displacement and 43.2 percent in capacity, which is roughly thirteen times the size of either preceding step. There is no KSF row in the group at 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22 cm³/rev. Across the whole group the KSF designation accounts for four of the nine rows, and the three rows between 22.9 and 28.0 cm³/rev all belong to the KSG and KSQ families with a different connection envelope.
The same designation behaves differently two pages earlier in the same manual. The thirteen KSF rows printed together on printed pages 15 and 16, all carrying the S power code that the legend defines as 1-phase 50 Hz 230 V, are populated in steps of roughly half a cubic centimetre per revolution and cover 15.6 to 21.0 cm³/rev without a comparable hole in the middle.
| Typical model | Displacement cm³/rev | Capacity W | Input W | Coefficient of performance | Height mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSF155S1VETB3 | 15.6 | 4,785 | 1,135 | 4.22 | 300 |
| KSF155S2VFPC3 | 15.6 | 4,820 | 1,090 | 4.42 | 314 |
| KSF160S2VFPC3 | 16.1 | 5,085 | 1,140 | 4.46 | 314 |
| KSF165S1VFTB3 | 16.5 | 5,110 | 1,195 | 4.28 | 314 |
| KSF165S2VFPC3 | 16.5 | 5,125 | 1,150 | 4.46 | 314 |
| KSF170S1VEPA | 17.0 | 5,230 | 1,200 | 4.36 | 314 |
| KSF170S2VFPC3 | 17.0 | 5,240 | 1,175 | 4.46 | 314 |
| KSF175S2VFPC3 | 17.5 | 5,390 | 1,215 | 4.44 | 314 |
| KSF180S1VFPA | 18.0 | 5,535 | 1,265 | 4.38 | 314 |
| KSF180S1VFP3 | 18.0 | 5,600 | 1,265 | 4.42 | 314 |
| KSF190S2VFPC3 | 19.1 | 5,885 | 1,320 | 4.46 | 314 |
| KSF200S2VFPC3 | 20.0 | 6,125 | 1,380 | 4.44 | 314 |
| KSF210S2VFPC3 | 21.0 | 6,505 | 1,460 | 4.46 | 314 |
One figure in the second table is reproduced as printed and is not used as evidence. The coefficient of performance shown for KSF180S1VFP3 differs from the value that row's own capacity and input produce by 0.007, which is a rounding-boundary divergence recorded in the verification note at the end of this guide. The two tables must not be read across. They are printed in different groups with different power codes, so a capacity figure from the upper table is not comparable with a capacity figure from the lower one, and the lower table is shown only to make the point about how densely the manufacturer populates the ladder when it chooses to. Combining a row from each into a single comparison table would produce a false like-for-like claim, which is the most common way compressor selection tables go wrong.
Taken together the two tables support a specific procurement conclusion. A buyer whose design point falls between 16.0 and 23.0 cm³/rev on a 1-phase 60 Hz 208 to 230 V supply has three options rather than a natural fit. The first is to oversize to KSF230N1VKTB and modulate or cycle around the excess capacity. The second is to step outside the KSF designation to KSG230N1VMT at 22.9 cm³/rev, which is the same displacement class but a different chassis, a different run capacitor and a lower coefficient of performance. The third is to change the electrical basis of the design, which is a much larger decision, because the S-code ladder that covers the middle of the range is a 50 Hz family and cannot be substituted into a 60 Hz supply without addressing the frequency, the speed and therefore the capacity and the motor design together. This site also carries a selection guide for the EKPM310D85UMTR if the displacement requirement moves above this family, and a guide for the DSG320S1UFT if the refrigerant requirement moves instead.
Which chassis does the KSF230N1VKTB share?
In the 60 Hz 208 to 230 V group the four KSF rows share one mechanical envelope between 15.0 and 23.0 cm³/rev. All four are printed at 314 mm overall height with an 8.1 mm suction line and a 12.9 mm discharge line, and only the run capacitor changes across the set.
| Typical model | Displacement cm³/rev | Height mm | Suction mm | Discharge mm | Run capacitor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSF150N1VETB3 | 15.0 | 314 | 8.1 | 12.9 | 50/400 |
| KSF155N2VETB3 | 15.5 | 314 | 8.1 | 12.9 | 50/400 |
| KSF160N1VET | 16.0 | 314 | 8.1 | 12.9 | 45/370 |
| KSF230N1VKTB | 23.0 | 314 | 8.1 | 12.9 | 55/400 |
The practical value of that constancy is a platform decision rather than a single-unit decision. A manufacturer building a family of condensing units or air handling products across a 5,565 W to 8,700 W capacity band can hold one mounting arrangement, one pipe size and one pipe-bending procedure across the whole band, because the swept volume changes by 53.3 percent while the shell height and both connection diameters do not change at all. Only the electrical side moves: the run capacitor values across the four rows are 50/400, 50/400, 45/370 and 55/400 microfarad per volt, so a common bill of materials cannot be assumed for that component even though the mechanical envelope is shared.
The constancy also sets the direction of the efficiency trend inside the group. Capacity rises faster than displacement across the KSF set, from 371.0 W per cubic centimetre per revolution at 15.0 cm³/rev to 378.3 at 23.0, but input rises faster still, and the coefficient of performance therefore declines from 4.42 at the bottom of the ladder to 4.36 at the top. That is the expected shape for a family sharing one shell: the largest member is doing the most work per unit of swept volume and dissipating proportionally more of it, and it cannot shed that heat through a larger envelope because the envelope was fixed at the design stage. Anyone choosing the top of the ladder is choosing capacity over efficiency by an amount the manufacturer's own table quantifies.
Why is this compressor on R32, and what does the F-gas timetable require?
R32 is a single-substance hydrofluorocarbon rather than a blend, and the supplier of a heat pump or air conditioning product has to place it against the European prohibition schedule before committing a platform to it. The values below are published by the European Commission's assessment of climate-friendly alternatives to F-gases, which draws them from the annexes of Regulation (EU) 2024/573. For reference values across substances, the German Environment Agency publishes a global warming potential table keyed to the same regulation. The role of R32 in the wider cooling market is set out in the International Energy Agency's report The Future of Cooling.
| Application | Applies from | Prohibited above |
|---|---|---|
| Single split air conditioning, charge under 3 kg | 1 January 2025 | GWP 750 |
| Self-contained air conditioning and heat pumps, up to 12 kW | 1 January 2027 | GWP 150 |
| Self-contained air conditioning and heat pumps, above 12 kW up to 50 kW | 1 January 2027 | GWP 150 |
| Split air-to-water systems, up to 12 kW | 1 January 2027 | GWP 150 |
| Stationary chillers, up to 12 kW | 1 January 2027 | GWP 150 |
| Stationary chillers, above 12 kW | 1 January 2027 | GWP 750 |
| Split air-to-air systems, up to 12 kW | 1 January 2029 | GWP 150 |
| Split systems, above 12 kW | 1 January 2029 | GWP 750 |
| Other self-contained air conditioning and heat pumps | 1 January 2030 | GWP 150 |
| Stationary chillers, up to 12 kW | 1 January 2032 | Any fluorinated greenhouse gas |
| Split systems, above 12 kW | 1 January 2033 | GWP 150 |
| Split systems, up to 12 kW | 1 January 2035 | Any fluorinated greenhouse gas |
R32 has a 100 year global warming potential of 675 and a safety group of A2L under the ISO 817 classification scheme. Because it is a single substance rather than a blend, that figure is a fixed property of the substance rather than a value computed from component fractions, which is why it can be quoted without specifying a mixture composition. It sits below the 750 threshold that applied to single split air conditioning with a charge under 3 kg from January 2025, and that position is the reason it became the mainstream near-term replacement for R410A, whose blended global warming potential is several times higher.
Read the two threshold columns together rather than the dates alone, because the thresholds are what the substance does or does not clear. At 675, R32 clears the 750 barrier and fails every 150 barrier. It is therefore a compliant answer for the current single split cycle and not a permanent one, because the 150 threshold arrives for self-contained air conditioning and heat pumps and for split air-to-water systems in 2027, for split air-to-air equipment up to 12 kW in 2029, for larger split systems in 2033, and it is caught by the 2035 prohibition on any fluorinated greenhouse gas in split systems up to 12 kW. Equipment built around a 23.0 cm³/rev compressor has a service life that will cross at least one of those dates.
One boundary belongs in the same paragraph. This guide describes where R32 stands as a substance. It does not state that any particular appliance complies with anything, and no certificate held by this compressor is claimed here. A2L is a classification that places obligations on the finished product, because charge limits, ventilation, leak detection and the siting of electrical components become part of the product definition and the completed unit is assessed against the product-level safety standard rather than against the compressor standard alone. Anyone designing around R32 has to design for A2L, and the edition of the standard in force in the destination market is the one that applies.
Which standards apply to a compressor like this?
Compressor-level safety, system-level safety, refrigerant classification and performance rating are four separate questions answered by four different documents. The table sets out which document answers which question, and which of them is the right citation for a given claim.
| Question | Document | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Safety of the compressor itself | IEC 60335-2-34:2024 | Safety of sealed motor compressors, which is the part-level standard for a hermetic unit such as this one |
| Safety of a refrigerating system using this compressor | IEC 60335-2-89:2019 | Commercial refrigerating appliances and the safety requirements that follow from the refrigerant charge and the enclosure |
| Refrigerant designations and compositions | ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34 | Refrigerant designations, including the composition of blends and the safety group assigned to each substance or mixture |
| Performance rating of the compressor | AHRI 540 | Rating conditions and the presentation of performance data for positive displacement refrigerant compressors |
| Refrigerant designation and classification scheme | ISO 817 | The naming and safety classification scheme under which R32 is an A2L refrigerant |
| Safety of the refrigerating system | ISO 5149-1 | Refrigerating systems and heat pumps, including environmental requirements at system level |
| Rating of the finished air conditioning unit | ISO 5151 | Performance testing and rating of non-ducted air conditioners and heat pumps, including the T1, T2 and T3 climate classes that appear in the same manufacturer manual as this model |
The value of that table is the boundary it draws. A manufacturer's catalogue row is a performance statement made under a named test condition, not a certification. Naming a standard is not a certificate claim either. When a specification calls for a safe design around R32, the obligation lands on the finished product and on the edition of the product-level standard in force where the product will be sold, and the compressor-level standard alone does not discharge it. The three ISO entries in the table are cited by number without a hyperlink because the ISO catalogue entries could not be retrieved programmatically; they are named so that the correct document can be identified rather than linked to a page that could not be verified.
Which applications suit the KSF230N1VKTB?
The manufacturer's application-field legend assigns separate leading codes to heat pump compressors, freezing and cold storage compressors, heating compressors and cabinet air conditioning compressors, which places a row without those markers in the standard air conditioning application. This model's row carries none of them, and the group it sits in falls inside the Green Refrigerant Compressor section. The list below starts from that placement and then adds the duty that the capacity class and the refrigerant position open up, with the boundary stated where one exists.
- Residential and light commercial split air conditioning. At 8,700 W and 23.0 cm³/rev with a 1-phase 60 Hz 208 to 230 V supply, this is a single split or small multi-split compressor rather than a portable, window or room unit part. The capacity class suits an indoor unit set supplied from a 60 Hz single-phase circuit.
- Unitary and ducted air conditioning on 60 Hz supplies. The power code N restricts the part to 60 Hz, 208 to 230 V markets, so a 50 Hz project needs a different part number even at the same displacement, and the S-code family is the place to look for it.
- Light commercial packaged equipment built on a common chassis. Because the four KSF rows in this group share a 314 mm shell and the same 8.1 mm and 12.9 mm connections from 15.0 to 23.0 cm³/rev, a product family can move up and down the capacity band without changing the mounting or the pipe work.
- Chiller duty inside the current compliance window only. R32 fails the 150 threshold that arrives for stationary chillers up to 12 kW in January 2027 and for larger stationary chillers in the same month, and it is prohibited entirely as a fluorinated greenhouse gas in stationary chillers up to 12 kW from January 2032. A chiller built on this compressor is a near-term product rather than a long-life platform.
- Heat pump and heating duty, subject to confirmation. R32 is used in heat pump equipment and appears in the European Commission's list of climate-friendly alternatives, but the manufacturer files heat pump and heating compressors under separate application-field codes and this row is not in those groups. Duty envelope, suction superheat and the approved operating range have to come from a datasheet for this part number before it is specified for heating service.
- Service and replacement work on installed R32 equipment. For a maintenance buyer the question is which part number matches the unit on the bench, so the power code, the displacement block and the two connection diameters all have to be read together rather than relying on the family letter alone.
- Excluded: freezing and cold storage duty. The manufacturer reserves a separate application-field code for freezing and cold storage compressors, and the KSF rows reviewed here are filed in the air conditioning section. A specification written around a low-temperature freezing application is not answered by this model, and the evaporating temperature range printed for the low back pressure families is the correct place to start.
The distinction between the fourth and fifth entries in that list is the one most often blurred in marketing copy. A compressor can be physically capable of a duty and still be inappropriate for it, because the refrigerant it uses may be scheduled out of that application class or because the manufacturer may not have qualified the part for the temperature range the duty requires. The F-gas thresholds in the previous section are the reason chiller duty is described here as window-limited, and the absence of this part number from the manufacturer's heat pump and heating groups is the reason heat pump duty is flagged for datasheet confirmation rather than asserted.
Selection checklist
- Fix the electrical basis first. This model is a 1-phase 60 Hz 208 to 230 V part, indicated by the power code N. Confirm the site supply frequency before comparing capacities, because the same displacement appears in 50 Hz and 60 Hz codes within one manufacturer document and the two are not interchangeable.
- Decide whether the design point needs 23.0 cm³/rev at all. Work out the required capacity at the design condition and compare it with 6,075 W, which is the capacity of the KSF160N1VET row immediately below this one in the same group. If the requirement sits well under 8,700 W, the smaller row avoids the efficiency penalty that the top of the ladder carries.
- Read the gap honestly. If the requirement falls between 16.0 and 23.0 cm³/rev, there is no KSF row in this group. Choose between oversizing to this model, stepping to KSG230N1VMT at 22.9 cm³/rev, or changing the electrical basis entirely.
- Do not compare the 8,700 W figure with a capacity quoted under another test condition. This figure carries the GX condition. A capacity taken from a SEER60 row or from a seller listing whose basis is not stated is not the same measurement.
- Check the connection sizes against the existing pipe work. This model uses an 8.1 mm suction line and a 12.9 mm discharge line. KSG230N1VMT, at effectively the same displacement, uses 9.8 mm and 16.2 mm, so a substitution between the two changes the pipe work and probably the charge.
- Match the run capacitor. The value for this row is 55/400 microfarad per volt, and the three smaller KSF rows in the same group use 50/400, 50/400 and 45/370. A shared bill of materials cannot be assumed for this component.
- Confirm the enclosure fits. This row is printed at 314 mm overall height, and other rows in the same group and the same document reach 336 mm, 340 mm and 380 mm.
- Place the refrigerant against the destination market. R32 is an A2L substance with a global warming potential of 675. Check the equipment class, the charge and the rated capacity against the prohibition schedule that applies where the product will be sold, and price the next transition into the platform plan rather than treating R32 as a permanent answer.
- Design the finished product for A2L. Charge limits, ventilation, leak detection and electrical component siting are part of the product definition, and the completed unit is assessed against the product-level safety standard rather than against the compressor standard alone.
- Ask for the datasheet, the performance map and the certificate set for the exact part number being purchased, and get the warranty, the documentation package and the test report status confirmed in writing before the order is placed.
Frequently asked questions
What refrigerant does the GMCC KSF230N1VKTB use?
It uses R32, also known as difluoromethane, with the chemical formula CH2F2. It is a single-substance hydrofluorocarbon rather than a blend, with a 100 year global warming potential of 675 and a safety group of A2L under the ISO 817 classification scheme. The model's row is printed in a group headed R32 in the manufacturer's product manual, which is the direct evidence for the refrigerant, and the substance values come from the annexes of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 as published by the European Commission. Because R32 is a single substance, its global warming potential is a fixed property rather than a value calculated from component fractions.
What are the displacement, capacity and input power of the KSF230N1VKTB?
Displacement is 23.0 cm³/rev. Capacity is 8,700 W, which is 29,684 Btu/h at the standard conversion factor. Input power is 1,995 W. Dividing capacity by input gives 4.361, which reproduces the 4.36 the manufacturer prints in the same row, and multiplying 8,700 by 3.412 gives 29,684, which reproduces the printed imperial figure. Both derived numbers therefore agree with the printed ones, and all of these figures carry the test condition GX. They should not be compared with ratings taken under a different condition.
Is the KSF230N1VKTB a fixed-speed or an inverter compressor?
It is a fixed-speed, line-start compressor. Two printed features point the same way. The power code in position 6 is N, which the manufacturer's legend defines as 1-phase 60 Hz 208/220/230 V, while the same legend reserves D for DC inverter and B for AC inverter; and the row prints a numeric run capacitor of 55/400 microfarad per volt, whereas the inverter rows elsewhere in the same manual print a dash in that column. Either feature alone would be suggestive. Together with the group heading, which names only a voltage and a frequency, they place the unit in the fixed-frequency family rather than the inverter family.
What is the difference between KSF230N1VKTB and KSG230N1VMT?
The two are listed at practically the same displacement, 23.0 and 22.9 cm³/rev, in the same voltage group and under the same test condition. KSF230N1VKTB delivers 175 W more capacity, which is 2.05 percent more, for 65 W more input, which is 3.37 percent more, so its coefficient of performance is 0.06 lower at 4.36 against 4.42. Mechanically it is 4 mm taller with smaller connections, 8.1 mm and 12.9 mm against 9.8 mm and 16.2 mm, and it needs a different run capacitor. The choice is therefore capacity against efficiency, and neither is a drop-in for the other.
Is there a model in this family between 16.0 and 23.0 cm³/rev?
Not in the 60 Hz 208 to 230 V group. Within that group the KSF designation covers 15.0, 15.5, 16.0 and 23.0 cm³/rev, so the step from KSF160N1VET to KSF230N1VKTB is a jump of 43.8 percent in displacement and 43.2 percent in capacity. The nearest alternatives above the gap are in the KSG family at 22.9 and 27.9 cm³/rev, and the nearest alternatives inside the gap are the twelve S-code KSF rows printed elsewhere in the same manual, which are 50 Hz parts. This site's KSK89D32UEZA31 guide and KSK82D22UEZA31 guide cover two smaller-displacement members of the same manufacturer range and show how the ladder fills in below this point.
Where can I obtain the official GMCC product manual for this model?
Start at the manufacturer's own GMCC's official product centre, which lists the current compressor categories, and at the GMCC official downloads page, where the rotary compressor product manual is distributed behind a form. Because that manual is not published as a direct link, the edition this guide was checked against was read from a distributor-hosted copy of the GMCC Rotary Compressor Product Catalog 2024, which is named here as a third-party host rather than presented as a manufacturer address. An earlier edition is also available as the FAWAZ-GMCC Rotary Compressor 2018 catalogue on a document platform. This site keeps its own GMCC model guides on this site hub, which collects the guides for the models covered here.
Is R32 a long-term choice or a transitional one for this compressor?
It is a strong near-term choice and not a permanent one. R32 clears the 750 threshold that has applied to single split air conditioning with a charge under 3 kg since January 2025, but it sits above the 150 threshold that arrives for self-contained air conditioning and heat pumps and for split air-to-water systems in 2027, for split air-to-air equipment up to 12 kW in 2029 and for larger split systems in 2033, and it is caught by the 2035 prohibition on any fluorinated greenhouse gas in split systems up to 12 kW. A product family with a development cycle measured in years should price that second transition now. This site's guide to the non-fluorinated alternative, the DSG320S1UFT, sets out the same trade-off from the other direction, where the refrigerant leaves the F-gas schedule entirely but carries an A3 classification and heavier charge and ignition-source obligations.
Sources and verification notes
The figures in this guide come from the primary register below. Capacity, input, displacement, coefficient of performance, capacitor, height and both connection diameters for KSF230N1VKTB are taken from one row of the manufacturer's table and the group heading above it. Sibling model figures are presented as sibling data and are never offered as data for this part number.
- Manufacturer product centre, the route to the current product categories and the model index: GMCC's official product centre
- Manufacturer downloads page, where the rotary compressor product manual is distributed behind a form: GMCC official downloads page
- The edition this guide was checked against, hosted by a distributor: GMCC Rotary Compressor Product Catalog 2024
- An earlier manufacturer edition on a document platform: FAWAZ-GMCC Rotary Compressor 2018 catalogue
- Standards and certification bodies, for the four levels of the standards framework: IEC 60335-2-34:2024, IEC 60335-2-89:2019, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34, AHRI 540
- Regulation and research, for the refrigerant position and the prohibition dates: European Commission's assessment of climate-friendly alternatives to F-gases, Regulation (EU) 2024/573, global warming potential table, The Future of Cooling
- Site structure and related model pages referenced in the comparison tables: the GMCC rotary compressor range, the rotary compressor category and the individual model pages linked in the model-number section
Three points about evidence limits belong here. First, the group table does not print a sound power level, a mass, an oil charge, a running speed or a locked rotor current for this part number, so none of those is quoted anywhere in this guide. Second, the test condition code GX is printed as a label in the manufacturer's table but is not defined in the edition reviewed, so this guide reports that the rating carries the GX condition without claiming what the condition consists of; the operating points behind it should be requested from the manufacturer. Third, the audit of the group found one row, KSN82N13VDZB1, whose printed imperial capacity is inconsistent with its printed wattage by about 106 Btu/h, and one KSF-family row, KSF180S1VFP3, whose printed coefficient of performance differs from the recomputed value by 0.007. Neither is the row for this model, and neither is corrected here.
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