Refrigeration engineer salary in France
Average monthly net salary in full-time equivalent in the French private sector, according to INSEE (occupation group “Électriciens, électroniciens qualifiés en maintenance, entretien : équipements non industriels”).
- Average net per month
- €2,382
- full-time equivalent, 2024
- Estimated monthly gross
- €3,009
- estimate with 2026 non-executive contributions
- Gap to the average
- -13%
- compared with all private-sector employees (€2,733 net)
- Compared with the SMIC
- 1.6 × the net SMIC
- 2026 net monthly minimum wage: €1,478
Source: INSEE, all-employees database 2024 (average net private-sector pay, full-time equivalent) · Data downloaded on 18 October 2026
Source: French minimum wage (SMIC) as of 1 June 2026 · Data downloaded on 18 October 2026
By age
| Under 30 | €2,009 |
|---|---|
| 30 to 39 | €2,371 |
| 40 to 49 | €2,538 |
Working as a refrigeration engineer in France
Search for 'Frigoriste', 'Technicien frigoriste', 'Monteur-dépanneur frigoriste' or 'Technicien froid et climatisation'. Handling refrigerants is regulated: technicians need an attestation d'aptitude for the relevant category (category I covers all operations), and their employer must hold an attestation de capacité. Electrical clearance (habilitation électrique) is also expected, and gas qualifications are sometimes required for certain installations. Usual training routes are the CAP Installateur en froid et conditionnement d'air, the Bac pro Métiers du froid et des énergies renouvelables (formerly TFCA), then the BTS Fluides, énergies, domotique with its refrigeration option, often in apprenticeship. In France the English title 'refrigeration engineer' maps to a technician role; 'ingénieur frigoriste' refers to design engineers with an engineering degree.
How to read these figures
The salary shown is an average, not a median: a few high salaries pull the average up. It is net pay before income tax, converted to full time.
The gross figure is an estimate: it applies 2026 employee contributions for a private-sector worker to the net salary. It leaves out bonuses, overtime and health insurance.
Salaries are from 2024 while the minimum wage is the 2026 one, so the comparison gives an order of magnitude.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary of a refrigeration engineer?
According to INSEE, a refrigeration engineer employed in the private sector earns on average €2,382 net per month in full-time equivalent (2024), about €3,009 gross based on our estimate with 2026 contributions.
Does a refrigeration engineer earn more than the minimum wage?
The average net salary for the occupation (€2,382, INSEE 2024) is 1.6 times the 2026 net monthly minimum wage (€1,478). Early in a career, pay is often closer to the minimum wage than to this average.