BITZER Refrigeration Oil BSE32

How to Buy BSE32: Terms, Packing and Documents

BITZER BSE32 is supplied on published terms: the pack sizes, the price terms, the payment terms and the documents are the same for every buyer, and they can be quoted without a site visit. The minimum order is deliberately left open, because it is judged case by case: the grade, the quantity, the pack size, the shipping terms and the container load all move it, so a single can and a full container load are both workable and neither is treated as the normal case. Send us the quantity, the destination port and whether your own brand goes on the container, and those three turn the table below into a firm quotation. Documents and lead time work the same way on every order: the technical data sheet and safety data sheet come with the quotation, and the certificate of analysis for the delivered batch comes with the shipment.

Full sourcing, OEM and private-label options are set out on our synthetic refrigeration oil sourcing page.

Is BSE32 the Right Grade for Your System?

What Else Can We Handle for Your Project?

A lubricant order is rarely only a lubricant order. The buyer is usually solving a grade question, an import documentation question, a freight question and a packaging question at the same time — often across more than one product family. Those are the parts of the job we take on, and they are handled by the same team that quotes the oil rather than passed to a third party.

None of this runs through a separate service department. The same technical contact stays with an account from the first grade question through to repeat orders, which is why a reorder does not start the conversation over again.

How to Order BSE32

Grade confirmation comes before pricing, because a wrong viscosity class is the mistake that costs a compressor. The sequence is the same whether you are buying one can or a full container:

1. Send us the compressor or unit model, the refrigerant, the oil currently in the system and the quantity you need.
2. We check the viscosity class and base oil type against the BITZER data sheet and confirm whether BSE32, or our equivalent QSL-32H, is the right grade for that application.
3. We quote against your destination port on any Incoterms 2020 term (EXW, FOB, CFR, CIF, DDP and every other rule), with the pack size and the lead time for that quantity.
4. The technical data sheet and safety data sheet come with the quotation, and a certificate of analysis for the delivered batch comes with the shipment.

If you already know the grade and only need a price, send the quantity and the destination port and we will quote directly.

Technical Data — BITZER BSE32

BITZER designates this grade by its basic viscosity at 40 °C rather than by an ISO VG class number, and the two documents above are the source for every figure in this table. On the ISO question: 32 cSt does fall inside the ISO VG 32 band of 28.8–35.2 cSt defined by DIN ISO 3448, so where this grade is labelled “ISO VG 32” that is consistent with the measured value — but BITZER itself does not assign a VG number, so compare grades on the measured 40 °C viscosity. The density can be linearly interpolated between the specified values. A technical data sheet, a safety data sheet and a batch certificate of analysis are available for any grade we quote.

Approved Refrigerant Ranges for BSE32

BITZER publishes an application range for each refrigerant, using the temperature bands defined in the same document. The brackets mark a range BITZER lists but recommends less strongly, and a dash means the refrigerant is not listed for this oil.

Reading the ranges: H is the high temperature air conditioning range, M the medium temperature range and L the low temperature range; HH is the high temperature air conditioning range up to 25 °C. A bracketed entry is a less recommended range, partially with restrictions — the L range on R134a is the documented example. These bands are BITZER’s own shorthand for the climate and refrigeration duty, and the specific compressor limits still come from the unit’s operating instructions or BITZER’S software.

Where Does BSE32 Sit in the BITZER POE Range?

BSE32 is one of two polyol ester grades BITZER documents for its reciprocating compressors, and the choice between them is a viscosity choice. The wider BITZER refrigeration oil range extends well beyond these two.

The viscosity above is the basic viscosity at 40 °C as BITZER publishes it. The base oil type matters as much as the viscosity: a polyol ester and a complex ester serve different refrigerants and are not interchangeable, so a grade is only an equivalent if both the chemistry and the viscosity class match.

Which Oils Can Replace BSE32?

If your compressor is already in service, you probably hold a data sheet for a different brand at the same viscosity class. These are the oils documented as cross-references for BSE32, with Qishanr QSL-32H as our own equivalent:

A cross-reference here matches the viscosity class, which is only half of the selection. BSE32 is a polyol ester specified for HFC and HFO refrigerants, while some of the oils above serve different chemistries or refrigerants — the base oil type has to match the refrigerant as well as the viscosity, so a grade is only an equivalent if both match. Send us the compressor model and the current oil and we will confirm the correct grade rather than leave the match to a table.

What BSE32 Is, and Why the Base Oil Matters

BSE32 is a polyol ester, and the reason BITZER specifies an ester rather than a mineral oil for these systems is that the oil has to stay in circulation with the refrigerant. Polyol esters have good solubility in HFC and HFO refrigerants, which is what keeps the charge returning to the compressor instead of collecting in the evaporator. BITZER’s own description of these oils is that they are especially suitable for operation with those substances, and that they combine that solubility with a favourable viscosity performance, meaning a high viscosity index.

The other half of the specification is purity. BITZER states that BSE32 significantly exceeds the requirements of DIN 51503, Part 1, for refrigeration compressor oils with respect to water content and total acid number. That matters because a polyol ester is hygroscopic: moisture that gets in hydrolyses the oil, and the acid that forms attacks the system from the inside. It is also why the oil group is worth knowing — BSE32 is categorised as group KD under DIN 51503-1, and the reference values of DIN 51503-2 apply when you are judging a used charge.

When BSE32 Is the Wrong Grade — and Why the Document Is Explicit About It

Two of BITZER’s own rules push an application away from BSE32, and both are worth knowing before an order is placed. The first is temperature: BSE32 is stated for stationary systems with condensing temperatures up to 70 °C, and above that limit the published grade is BSE55, the heavier polyol ester. The second is loading: for a single-stage compressor running in the high temperature range with liquid injection, BITZER’s requirement is to use the higher base viscosity — BSE55 instead of BSE32.

The reason both rules point the same way is that a refrigerant dissolves into the oil and thins it. The hotter the duty and the more refrigerant is carried in the sump, the lower the viscosity of the film that is actually protecting the bearings, so a grade that is adequate in one application is marginal in another even though the numbers on the drum have not changed. That is why the selection is made against the application range rather than against the viscosity alone, and why we ask for the compressor model and the refrigerant before quoting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is BITZER BSE32, and what is it used for?

A: BITZER BSE32 is a polyol ester (POE) refrigeration oil with a basic viscosity of 32 cSt at 40 °C. BITZER supplies it in reciprocating compressors intended for chlorine-free HFC and HFO refrigerants, where the compressor type designation carries a “Y” — 4CES-6Y, for example. It is approved for stationary refrigeration and air conditioning systems with condensing temperatures up to 70 °C, and it is the lighter of the two polyol ester grades BITZER documents for its reciprocating range.

Q: Is there a minimum order for BSE32, and what pack sizes are available?

A: BSE32 ships in 5 L, 10 L and 20 L packs. There is no fixed minimum order — it is confirmed per order, because it depends on the pack size, the quantity and the destination, and a single can and a full container load are both workable. In practice the quantity is rarely the only variable: the shipping terms and the container load move the figure as well, so we quote against the order rather than against a price list. Custom pack formats and private-label artwork are available as a quotation item, so if your own label has to go on the container, say so when you enquire and it is quoted as part of the project rather than added afterwards.

Q: Do you supply the original BITZER oil, or your own equivalent?

A: Both, and the choice is usually straightforward. We can supply the original BITZER BSE32, and we also manufacture the equivalent grade ourselves: Qishanr QSL-32H, a polyol ester at the same viscosity class, produced at our blending plant in Foshan, China. Take the original where the compressor is still under warranty or where the specification names BITZER explicitly. Take the equivalent for repeat service fills, for volume programmes and for private label, and send us the specification so the match is confirmed in writing rather than assumed.

Q: Which refrigerants can BSE32 be used with?

A: BITZER lists R134a, R1234ze(E), R404A, R407A, R407C and R507A for this oil, each with its own application range, and the blends those refrigerants also cover: R450A, R513A and R1234yf in place of R134a; R448A, R449A and R452A in place of R404A; and R407F in place of R407A. The unsaturated HFO refrigerants and the blends containing them have been tested and approved for these oils, but they dissolve more strongly in the oil and thin the viscosity further, so sufficient superheat has to be ensured. Send us the refrigerant with the compressor model and we will confirm the range that applies.

Q: How do I choose between BSE32 and BSE55?

A: The choice is made on the condensing temperature and the duty, not on the compressor size. BSE32 is stated for stationary systems with condensing temperatures up to 70 °C; BSE55 is the heavier grade and is stated for mobile refrigeration and air conditioning with condensing temperatures above 70 °C. There is a second rule that points the same way: for a single-stage compressor running in the high temperature range with liquid injection, BITZER requires the higher base viscosity, which means BSE55 rather than BSE32. If your application is near either boundary, send us the duty and we will confirm the grade rather than leave you to interpolate.

Q: Does the oil in the system need to be flushed before changing to BSE32?

A: It depends on what is in the system now. Within the same viscosity group, BITZER permits mixing polyol esters with the original oil provided appropriate experience is available for the application, and the precondition for any alternative oil is a guaranteed moisture content below 50 ppm. What the document does not support is mixing oil types: a polyol ester and a mineral oil are not interchangeable without a proper changeover. Send us the oil you are running and the compressor model and we will confirm whether a flush is needed and what the changeover sequence is.

Q: What documents come with an order?

A: The technical data sheet and the safety data sheet come with the quotation, so the grade can be checked before the order is placed. The certificate of analysis for the delivered batch comes with the shipment, so the actual figures for the oil in the container can be filed with the service record. Export documentation is prepared as standard for overseas orders: CE, certificate of origin, MSDS and transport identification report. Third-party testing by SGS or another laboratory is arranged on request, and the printed documents are supplied in the language the receiving authority requires.

Q: What price and payment terms apply?

A: Price is quoted against your destination port on any Incoterms 2020 term — EXW, FOB, CFR, CIF, DDP and every other rule — so the delivered figure is known before the order is placed rather than assembled afterwards from separate freight quotes. Payment is on any commonly used method, including T/T, L/C and PayPal, confirmed with the order. Long-term partners get pricing that reflects a stable manufacturing base rather than a trading margin. Send the quantity and the destination port and we will quote directly.

Key Takeaways

• BITZER BSE32 is a polyol ester (POE) refrigeration oil with a basic viscosity of 32 cSt at 40 °C, for BITZER reciprocating compressors on chlorine-free HFC and HFO refrigerants.
• It is approved for stationary refrigeration and air conditioning systems with condensing temperatures up to 70 °C; above that limit the published grade is BSE55.
• For a single-stage compressor in the high temperature range with liquid injection, BITZER requires the higher base viscosity — BSE55 instead of BSE32.
• It is categorised as group KD under DIN 51503-1 and significantly exceeds the DIN 51503-1 requirements for water content and total acid number.
• Documented refrigerants are R134a, R1234ze(E), R404A, R407A, R407C and R507A, covering the blends R450A, R513A, R1234yf, R448A, R449A, R452A and R407F.
• Available in 5 L, 10 L and 20 L packs, as the original BITZER oil or as our equivalent Qishanr QSL-32H made in Foshan, China.
• Any Incoterms 2020 term (EXW, FOB, CFR, CIF, DDP and others), any commonly used payment method (T/T, L/C, PayPal and others).
• Minimum order is confirmed per order — a single can and a full container load are both workable.

Standards and Sources Behind the Data on This Page

Every figure on this page is taken from a published document, and each one is listed here so it can be checked. Where two documents give the same value, both are cited.

Standards are cited to the publisher’s official catalogue entry rather than to a summary, and the documents listed here were checked as reachable when this page was last reviewed. Technical data sheets for the original BITZER grades and for our own equivalents are available on request and are supplied with every quotation.