Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic: Red Seal trade guide
What a refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic does, apprenticeship hours by province, the Red Seal exam, and Job Bank wages and outlooks, with links to every official source.
Independent guide: TradeCareersHub.com is not part of the Red Seal Program or any government, and the Red Seal Program does not endorse any test preparation companies. Every number here comes from an official source listed at the end of the page. Rules change, so confirm with your apprenticeship authority.
Updated: Oct 2026. Wages: Job Bank 2025 wages, revised November 19, 2025. Outlooks: Job Bank 2025–2027, published December 10, 2025.
At a glance
- NOC code
- 72402 (Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics)
- Red Seal since
- 1964
- Red Seal in
- AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, NT, NU, ON, PE, QC, SK, YT
- Other titles
- Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician (NB); Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic (ON); Refrigeration Mechanic (QC); Class 1 refrigeration systems (non-construction) (QC)
- Red Seal exam
- 125 multiple-choice questions, 70% to pass
- Median wage (Canada)
- $37.50 an hour (Job Bank 2025)
What the job is
The Red Seal Program describes the trade this way:
Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics install, maintain, service and retrofit residential, commercial, industrial and institutional heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration units and systems. They also connect to and service air delivery systems, install and service hydronic and secondary refrigerant systems and associated controls. They install, repair and maintain systems for climate control and air quality.
Red Seal status
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic has been a Red Seal trade since 1964. The Red Seal endorsement is available in: AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, NT, NU, ON, PE, QC, SK, YT.
The Red Seal Occupational Standard (RSOS) is the official description of the trade, and the exam is built from it. Read it on the Red Seal Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic page (opens in a new tab).
red-seal.ca notes that a newer occupational standard (RSOS) has been published for this trade and that new exams based on it are under development. Current exams are based on the earlier standard, which is also linked on the trade's Red Seal page.
Apprenticeship by province and territory
Most provinces and territories that train this trade list 7,200 total hours on the Ellis Chart. Each province and territory runs its own program, so the number of levels, total hours and whether certification is required all vary. The table below is from the Ellis Chart for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic (opens in a new tab).
| Province or territory | Levels | Total hours | Certification | Trade qualifier hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 4 | 7,200 | Voluntary | 10,800 |
| Prince Edward Island | 4 | 7,200 | Voluntary | 10,800 |
| Nova Scotia | 4 | 7,200 | Compulsory | 10,800 |
| New Brunswick | 4 | 7,200 | Compulsory | 10,800 |
| Quebec | — | 8,000 | Compulsory | — |
| Ontario | 3 | 9,000 | Compulsory | 9,000 |
| Manitoba | 4 | 7,200 | Compulsory | 10,800 |
| Saskatchewan | 4 | 7,200 | Compulsory | 10,800 |
| Alberta | 4 | 7,200 | Compulsory | 9,360 |
| British Columbia | 4 | 7,200 | Compulsory | 9,315 |
| Yukon | 4 | 7,200 | Voluntary | 10,800 |
| Northwest Territories | 4 | 7,200 | Voluntary | 9,000 |
| Nunavut | 4 | 7,200 | Voluntary | 9,000 |
How to read this: Compulsory means only certified journeypersons or registered apprentices may do the work there. Voluntary means certification isn't legally required. Trade qualifier hours is the work experience the Ellis Chart lists for people who have worked in the trade but haven't finished a Canadian apprenticeship (see the challenge route). A dash means the Ellis Chart lists no figure. Quebec runs its own system, so its figures aren't laid out the same way; check with the Quebec authority.
The Red Seal exam
The Red Seal Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic exam has 125 multiple-choice questions. Questions are split across the trade's major work activities as shown below. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide says each question has four options, the pass mark is 70% and you have 4 hours. Read our Red Seal exam guide for booking, retakes and study tips.
| Major work activity | Questions |
|---|---|
| Performs common occupational skills | 13 |
| Performs routine trade activities | 19 |
| Plans installation | 18 |
| Performs installation | 26 |
| Performs commissioning | 21 |
| Performs maintenance and service | 28 |
| Total | 125 |
By question type, red-seal.ca lists: knowledge and recall 20–30%, procedural and application 50–60%, critical thinking 10–20%.
Official prep: the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic exam information page (opens in a new tab) has the breakdown, sample questions and a self-assessment tool, and the Red Seal Program — Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide (opens in a new tab) explains how the exams work.
Wages (Job Bank, 2025)
Hourly wages for NOC 72402, Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics. That group can be broader than the Red Seal trade alone. Low is roughly the 10th percentile and high roughly the 90th; wages don't account for years of experience. A dash means Job Bank didn't publish a figure. Compare provinces with our wage comparison tool.
| Where | Low | Median | High | Data source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $22.00 | $37.50 | $56.00 | Labour Force Survey |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $20.00 | $36.00 | $46.00 | Labour Force Survey |
| Prince Edward Island | $21.02 | $31.21 | $34.02 | Small Area Estimation |
| Nova Scotia | $20.70 | $30.84 | $53.85 | Small Area Estimation |
| New Brunswick | $20.50 | $29.76 | $45.63 | Labour Force Survey |
| Quebec | $22.40 | $38.00 | $46.08 | Employment Insurance Survey Data |
| Ontario | $21.00 | $37.00 | $58.00 | Labour Force Survey |
| Manitoba | $18.00 | $36.07 | $45.00 | Labour Force Survey |
| Saskatchewan | $28.50 | $40.00 | $59.00 | Labour Force Survey |
| Alberta | $25.00 | $40.00 | $54.00 | Labour Force Survey |
| British Columbia | $24.23 | $40.00 | $62.00 | Labour Force Survey |
| Yukon | — | — | — | Not published |
| Northwest Territories | — | — | — | Not published |
| Nunavut | — | — | — | Not published |
Data as of November 19, 2025 (Job Bank 2025 wages). Labour Force Survey figures cover 2023–2024.
Job outlook, 2025–2027
Job Bank rates prospects for each occupation from Very good to Very limited. The ratings compare an occupation with others in the same province, so they can't be compared between provinces, and they don't measure labour shortages. The 2025–2027 outlooks cover the ten provinces; for the territories, see Job Bank's outlook search (opens in a new tab).
| Province | Outlook 2025–2027 |
|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Good |
| Prince Edward Island | Good |
| Nova Scotia | Good |
| New Brunswick | Moderate |
| Quebec | Moderate |
| Ontario | Good |
| Manitoba | Moderate |
| Saskatchewan | Very good |
| Alberta | Good |
| British Columbia | Moderate |
Next steps
- How apprenticeship works in Canada, with every apprenticeship authority
- Who hires apprentices: employers and union training centres
- Safety tickets guide and our free Safety Basics course
- Free practice quizzes on safety and trade math (we don't have a sample for this trade yet)
- Free trade calculators, including an apprenticeship hours tracker
- Trades job board (listings from Job Bank)
FAQ
How long is a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic apprenticeship?
The Ellis Chart lists 7,200 total hours for this trade in most provinces and territories. Different totals: Quebec 8,000; Ontario 9,000. Hours and levels change, so confirm with your apprenticeship authority.
How many questions are on the Red Seal Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic exam?
The Red Seal Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic exam has 125 multiple-choice questions, according to the trade's exam information page on red-seal.ca. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide gives a pass mark of 70% and a time limit of 4 hours.
How much does a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wages for NOC 72402 (Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics) show a Canada-wide median of $37.50 an hour, with a low of $22.00 and a high of $56.00. Wages vary a lot by province and experience; see the table on this page.
Is Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic a compulsory trade?
The Ellis Chart lists it as compulsory in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and voluntary elsewhere it's offered. In a compulsory trade, only certified journeypersons or registered apprentices can do the work.
Sources
- Red Seal Program — Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic trade page (opens in a new tab)
- Red Seal Program — Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic exam information (opens in a new tab)
- Red Seal Program — Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide (opens in a new tab)
- Ellis Chart — Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic (opens in a new tab)
- Job Bank — Wages open data, 2025 Wages file (revised November 19, 2025), Open Government Portal (opens in a new tab)
- Job Bank — Questions and Answers on Wages (opens in a new tab)
- Job Bank — 3-Year Employment Outlooks, 2025–2027 (published December 10, 2025), Open Government Portal (opens in a new tab)
- Job Bank — 3-year Employment Outlooks: Questions and Answers (opens in a new tab)