[ $CO_2$ ] and propane mixtures, which are environmentally benign, nontoxic, low in price, and compatible with materials and lubricants, were considered as promising alternative refrigerants. A fully instrumented air-conditioning system was developed for a precise performance evaluation of pure $CO_2$ and $CO_2/propane$ mixtures. In this paper, the effect of the charging amount and circulation concentration on the cooling performance of the system using $CO_2$ and propane mixtures was tested and discussed. Pure $CO_2$ and 85/15, 75/25 and 60/40 binary blends by the charged mass percentage of $CO_2/propane$ were selected as working fluids. An optimum charging amount was proposed as a parameter instead of the degree of subcooling, which can not be well defined in the transcritical cycle, to properly compare the performance between the transcritical and subcritical cycles.