Dry ice or reusable eutectic plates? Build a break-even comparison

Reusable plates are not automatically cheaper on every route. Compare purchase, freezing, labour, returns and losses with dry-ice cost per shipment.

14 August 2023Updated 23 September 2026

Short answer

For a per-shipment comparison, include dry ice and consumables; for plates, include equipment purchase, freezing energy, storage, handling, returns, loss and damage. If the route and temperature requirements fit, use your records to find the volume at which total costs become equal.

Dry ice is purchased for each shipment; eutectic plates require reuse, freezing and a return process. The economical choice depends on shipment volume and the actual cost of that process.

For a chosen period, total dry-ice quantities and invoices. For plates, record purchase, freezing electricity, storage, preparation and loading labour, return transport, loss and damage. Keep packaging and route conditions comparable.

Formula: divide total cost over the period by the number of suitable shipments. State how the initial plate investment is spread across the period; do not add service-life or energy assumptions without records. The shipment count where totals match is a break-even point only under those assumptions.

First measure whether the cold source and container meet the temperature needs of your actual route. A cost advantage does not replace product or route suitability.