Chlorine oxide trifluoride was originally made at Rocketdyne[3] by treating dichlorine monoxide with fluorine.

Other substances that could react with fluorine to make it includes sodium chlorite (NaClO2), and chlorine nitrate (ClONO2).

The first published production method was a reaction of dichlorine monoxide with oxygen difluoride (OF2).

[8] This allows purification of ClOF3, as at room temperature a solid complex is formed, but this decomposes between 50 and 70 °C.

[3] Chlorine trifluoride oxide can fluoridate and add oxygen in the same reaction, reacting with molybdenum pentafluoride, silicon tetrafluoride, tetrafluorohydrazine (over 100 °C), HNF2, and F2NCOF.